



•KssM 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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GRACE KING: 

•1 



RECOLLECTIONS OF EVENTS 



LIFE AND DEATH OF A PIOUS YOUTH: 



EXTRACTS FROM HER DIARY. 



PUBLISHED FOR THE BENEFIT OF YOUTH- 



REVISED BY THE EDITORS. 



- 
- X/' ■■■• • ■' 



NEW-YORK : 

PUBLISHED BY T. MASON AND G. LANE, 

For the Sunday School Union of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
200 Mulberry-stre«t 

/. Collord, Printer. 

1840. 



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7 IS 



Ksshs 



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11 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the vear 
1840, by T. Mason and G. Lane, in the Clerk's Office 
of the District Court of the Southern District of New- 
York." 



PREFACE. 



There is something deeply affecting in the 
death of the young ; it looks like the falling of 
unripe fruit : or like the blasting of the promis- 
ing blossom by a late and untimely frost. But 
if they die like the subject of our recollections, 
in the full hope of the life to come, we feel bet- 
ter reconciled to their exit. Though we lament 
the early fall of Grace King, and have often 
wished that she had been spared, yet there was 
every thing in the improvement of her mind 
in knowledge, and in the advancement of her 
heart in goodness, as the extracts from her 
diary will show, that is calculated to reconcile 
us to the providence which removed her from 
earth so young. 

The reader ought to be informed, that the 
family in which Grace King was reared con- 
sisted of Mr. and Mrs. G., and of four daugh- 
ters of mature age, of a good education. This 
will account for the apparent precocity of intel- 
lect manifested by little Grace. 

Grace King. 



b PREFACE. 

The thoughts contained in the " Extracts 
from her Diary" are her own. The compiler, 
indeed, has attempted to improve the language, 
and, as is thought, to render it more fit to 
meet the public eye. The plea he offers for 
the liberties which he has taken is, that he 
found the entries, as they were first made by 
Grace herself, without any correction; but he 
pledges his word that no sentiment or opinion 
has been changed. 

It is believed that no young persons, and 
perhaps not many adults, can read the history 
and opinions of Grace King, without being both 
pleased and profited. It is a conviction of the 
probable usefulness of this little work that has 
influenced the compiler to lay it before the 
Christian public. May the blessing of God 
attend it. 

New -York, 1839. 

Grace King 



GRACE KING. 



My Deaji Young Friends, 

I undertake to give you a few re- 
collections of one of the loveliest chil- 
dren that I ever knew. Her name 
was Grace King. She was an orphan, 
her father and mother being both dead. 
She was born, was reared, and she 




GRACE KING. 



died, in one of the most beautiful, 
healthy, and romantic manufacturing 
towns for which the Westriding of 
Yorkshire is so very remarkable. 

Grace was about five years of age 
when I first saw her, and was residing 
in a religious family, who were inti- 
mate friends of her deceased parents* 
In personal appearance this child was 
lovely; she might be truly called beau- 
tiful. She had a fine, lofty, and ex- 
panded forehead ; her eyes were a 
deep, dark blue ; her skin was clear 
and fair ; her lips were bright as ru- 
bies ; and her full cheeks were like 
blooming roses. She was by nature 
of a sweet and teachable temper, and 
her manners were such as reflected 
great credit on the judgment and piety 
of her deceased mother. At the time 
I first saw her she could read well, 
and was very fond of good books. 

I would affectionately warn my 



GRACE KING. 



young readers against indulging peev- 
ish, angry, and revengeful tempers, on 
account of the bad effects which they 
never fail to produce on the personal 
appearance and manners of such as 
indulge in them. It has long been 
known that fretful and boisterous tem- 
pers give their impressions to both the 
features and manners of children. 
Therefore, if you wish for comely per- 
sons, and graceful manners, you must 
guard against all angry and impatient 
feelings. 

The family of Mr. G , in which 

I first met this interesting orphan, was 
composed of persons who had long 
been devoted to God, and who were 
well fitted to educate the young, and 
to train the infant mind ; and it is due 
to them to say, that they spared no 
pains to polish and bless their lovely 
charge. 

Grace was early led to the sabbath 



10 GRACE KING. 

school, where she distinguished her- 
self by her diligence in committing to 
memory portions of Scripture, sacred 
hymns, and other good pieces ; and 
she continued, through her short life, 
to be held up as" a pattern worthy the 
imitation of others. This child was 
in the constant habit of inquiring after 
the meaning of the scriptures and 
hymns which she learned at the sab- 
bath school, and by this means she 
early acquired a stock of Biblical and 
religious knowledge, seldom attained 
even by adult Christians. In fact, 
the geography and chronology of the 
Scriptures ; the manners, customs, 
laws, &c, of the Jews, Greeks, and 
Romans, were familiar to her ; and, 
before she was eight years of age, 
she read the Bible with great judg- 
ment and much delight. She was, no 
doubt, greatly indebted to the labours 
of the family of Mr. G for her 



GRACE KING. 11 

great acquirements; but still these 
were owing, in a great measure, to her 
thirst for knowledge, and her diligent 
inquiry ; and I would say to my young 
reader, "Go thou and do likewise." 

When little Grace was about six 
years old a glorious revival of religion 
took place in the Methodist congre- 
gation at R , the village in which 

she resided, which soon extended to 
the sabbath school. Among the early 
subjects of this revival was found this 
interesting orphan. Her infant mind 
became deeply affected by a discovery 
of her sinfulness and perishing con- 
dition. Being asked why she wept, 
she replied, " Because my heart is 
wicked." When asked how she knew 
that her heart was wicked, she an- 
swered, "Because I know I do not 
love God." And when asked how 
she knew that she did not love God, 
she answered, " Because I think of 



12 GRACE KING. 

any thing, and I talk of any thing more 
than I do of God." 

This little penitent continued to 
mourn, and weep, and pray, and re- 
fused to be comforted, for some weeks. 

The family of Mr. G , and the 

friends who knew her, felt very deeply 
on her account, and laboured in dif- 
ferent ways to minister peace to her 
troubled heart. 

One elderly lady, addressing her, 
said, '" Be comforted, child, for I am 
•sure you have always been good, and 
very good ; I do not believe that you 
ever committed a sin in your life ; and 
I am sure God must love you." To 
this she replied, with her beautiful 
eyes full of tears, and her little breast 
heaving with sighs, " I know that God 
must love me, or he would not have 
sent the beloved Jesus to die for me ; 
but I am sure that I am not good, or I 



GRACE KING. 13 

should have loved God, and praised 
him for the gift of his Son." 

One day, after spending a few hours 
alone, in reading, meditation, and 
prayer, she entered the room where 
Mr. G sat ; her sorrowful coun- 
tenance seemed somewhat relieved of 
its former heaviness, and she ad- 
dressed her earthly protector, saying, 
" Father," (the title she always gave 

Mr. G ,) " if God were not willing 

to pardon my sins, and save my soul, 
would he have given his Son to die 
for me V Being answered, " No," she 
said, " Then I will give myself into 
his hands, and will wait for the an- 
swer of peace, expecting it for Christ's 
sake alone." Her father hearing this, 
said, " My child, thou art not far from 
the kingdom of God ; go back to thy 
room, and say to God what thou hast 
said to me ; go just now, and say to 
him, Here, Lord, I give myself up to 



14 GRACE KING. 

thee; I cannot save myself; thou hast 
given Jesus to be my Saviour ; I rely 
only on his merits, and I expect that 
thou wilt accept and save for his sake 
alone." 

Grace took this advice ; she went 
directly to her closet, and it was but 
a short time before she returned to 
the room where the family was as- 
sembled, with a face radiant with joy, 
saying, " Rejoice with me, for my 
blessed Lord has done that for me 
which none of you could do, and 
which I could, not do for myself. He 
has met me in mercy ; he has taken 
the burden from my heart ; he has 
taken possession of my soul ; he has 
filled me with peace, and he has given 
me power to love him. Yes, he alone 
has done it, and I will praise him, for 
now I know that I love God." In these 
and similar words did this dear child 
continue to express herself for some 



GRACE KING- 15 

time. She then said, "Let us all kneel 
down, and 1 wish you all to praise 
God for what he has done for me. 
I wish you to praise him, and to give 
him thanks, because you can do it bet- 
ter than I." Perhaps I need not add, 
that the whole family instantly com- 
plied, and joined the infant believer in 
the delightful exercise of thanksgiving 
to God. 

Now, my young reader, let me ask 
you, what dost thou know about these 
things ? Didst thou ever see the sin- 
fulness of thy heart ? Didst thou ever 
mourn and weep before God, on ac- 
count of thy guilt and danger ? Didst 
thou ever feel the struggle after salva- 
tion which was felt by Grace King? 
And didst thou ever believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ and so believe on 
him as to feel peace and joy in thy 
heart? Remember, thou art sinful 
and guilty, and thou must feel these 



16 GRACE KING. 

things, or thou canst not get to hea- 
ven. O, think on these things, and 
lay them now to heart. 

It is not uncommon, in this day of 
improvement in sabbath school in- 
structions, to see young children be- 
come the subjects of religious impres- 
sions during the course of revivals ; 
but, unhappily, such children are too 
often neglected, from the notion that 
all their seriousness will vanish as 
soon as the revival ceases. It is a 
painful fact, that very frequently such 
children become as thoughtless and 
trifling as ever. But is not this, in 
some measure, owing to the want of 
good care and persevering nursery on 
the part of parents and members of 
the church ? If these children were 
properly instructed, watched over, and 
prayed with, would not the result, in 
many instances, be widely different ? 
The guilt, therefore, of their religious 



GRACE KING. 17 

declension, will be found chargeable 
to the church, to parents, and to guar- 
dians. Think of this, ye who speak 
lightly of " the day of small and feeble 
things !" Remember the charge of 
the great Shepherd, " Feed my 
lambs." 

The child whose history is the sub- 
ject of these recollections remained 
" steadfast and unmoveable, always 
abounding" in goodness, devotion and 
piety, to the close of her life, which 
event happened in her 14th year. 
Up to this time she enjoyed a remark- 
able state of health, and was able to 
attend sabbath school, and the means 
of grace in general, without interrup- 
tion. She always entered the sabbath 
school well qualified to recite her les- 
sons, and attended the public means of 
grace prepared by previous private 
devotion. She always went from her 
2 



18 GRACE KING. 

closet to hear preaching, to prayer 
meetings, and to her class. 

Grace had her regular and stated 
hours for reading and private devotion ; 
and she was never known to fail in 
her attendance on these duties at least 
three times a day. She also attended 
to other studies and duties prescribed 
by the family with religious exactness. 
It was never found necessary to re- 
quest her a second time to do the bid- 
ding, or fulfil the wishes of any mem- 
ber of Mr. G 's family ; and she 

always did everything willingly, and 
with an air of pleasure and satisfac- 
tion I hope all my young readers 
will imitate Grace in this particular ; 
for nothing can be more afflicting to 
your parents than to see you unwill- 
ing to comply with their reasonable 
requests. Besides, what unkindness, 
and what wickedness, in the sight of 
God, it must be, not to be obedient to 



GRACE KING. 19 

our dear parents, who have kindly 
watched over us, and provided for our 
wants, during many years of helpless 
infancy. Remember that " Honour 
thy father and thy mother is the first 
commandment with promise." 

Many persons seem to doubt and 
call in question the genuineness of the 
conversion of young children. They 
seem to think that religion, and the 
means of obtaining it, are matters so 
much above the comprehension of 
children that they cannot be the real 
subjects of Christian experience. 
These doubters ought to remember 
that conversion is the work of God; 
and that it is a little thing with him 
"to ordain praise out of the mouths of 
babes and sucklings." Besides, the 
infant mind is much more susceptible 
of religious knowledge and impres- 
sions than many parents seem to be- 
lieve. Let them only set to work in 



20 GRACE KING. 

earnest to train their children for God 
and they will soon be convinced of 
this. If strict and persevering atten- 
tion to devotional duties; if meekness, 
humility, kindness, and docility of 
spirit; if integrity of principle and 
practice ; if deep and growing solici- 
tude for the prosperity of the church 
and the salvation of the world ; if 
these be genuine fruits of religious 
experience, and the real evidence of 
a work of grace on the heart, then the 
religion of little Grace King was pure 
and genuine. 

She was remarkable for her fidelity 
and zeal in instructing, warning, and 
urging to repentance all the ignorant 
and careless children that fell in her 
company. And these labours of 
childhood were not in vain; the Lord 
owned and blessed them ; for there 
are some burning and shining lights 
in the church now who can trace 



GRACE KING. 21 

their first religious impressions to her 
labours. 

When Grace was nearly fourteen 
years of age she was seized with a 
violent fever, which caused great anx- 
iety to Mr. G 's family, and to her 

friends generally. She was watched 
and nursed with the deepest care, and 
the best medical advice was sum- 
moned for her relief. But the fever 
resisted all skill and care, and re- 
mained violent and unyielding for 
three weeks; and when it did subside, 
it left such marks of ravage and waste 
of the constitution as rendered the 
prospect of her recovery very doubt- 
ful. During the continuance of the 
fever she laboured under almost con- 
stant delirium. But it was remarked 
by all around her that she never said 
any thing, or did any thing, but what 
served to show, in the words of one 
of her physicians, li that the suffering 



22 GRACE KING. 

body was inhabited by a pure and 
sainted spirit." During- the delirium 
she would sing, and pray, and recite 
Scripture, and exhort sinners. 

When the fever was broken, she 
became perfectly herself. She knew 
all her friends, and conversed with 
her former intelligence, according to 
her strength. She was conscious that 
she had been very sick ; and she con- 
tinued calmly and firmly to declare 
that she should not get well, but that 
her sickness would soon end in death. 
When asked the~ state of her mind, 
she uniformly answered, " I have 
peace with God, through our Lord 
Jesus Christ." When questioned in 
reference to her future and eternal 
prospects, she replied, " My future 
prospects are good ; my sky is un- 
clouded, and my pathway is bright 
with celestial light." At other times 
she would say, "My prospects? why, 



GRACE KING. 23 

they are transporting ! I am going, 
yes, I am going to the abode of an- 
gels, and to the presence of God ! O 
glory ! hallelujah !" 

One day Mr. G — — said to her, 
" My dear Grace, are you not sorry 
to know that you are going to die, 
and to leave me and the rest of the 
family 7* After looking steadily at 

Mr. G for a moment, as if in 

great surprise, she firmly answered, 
" No ! sir ; though I love you and your 
family most dearly, yet I love my God 
and Saviour a great deal more!" 
After a long and painful fit of cough- 
ing, during which she was supported 

by Mr. G , she said, "Father, I 

thank you for holding my throbbing 
head. I believe you and the whole 
family intend to meet me in heaven?" 
Being answered, " Yes, we do," she 
very quickly said, " Why then should 
I not go first, that I may be ready to 



24 GRACE KING. 

welcome you all there V And look- 
ing affectionately at Mr. G , she 
added, "Father, when I get home to 
glory, I shall continue to look for you 
until I see you enter ; it will not be 
long that I shall have to look for you, 
for your locks are getting very gray." 
This was a melting scene. We all 
wept. Who could have witnessed 
this interview between the young dis- 
ciple and the aged patriarch, and not 
be melted to tears? To me it ap- 
peared as if they were both striving 
to reach heaven first; and yet they 
were both willing to go in company. 
On the last day of her mortal life, 

Mr. G said to her, " Grace, it is 

now nearly nine years since your own 
dear mother died. I saw her die, and 
I have no doubt that she is now in 
glory with the Saviour." On hearing 
this, the little sufferer raised her 
wasted hands and her swimming eyes 



GRAGE KING. 25 

to heaven ; and as soon as she could 
articulate, she exclaimed, " Let me 
go ! let me go ! I want to see that holy 
and happy mother ; and I want, still 
more, to see the glorious Saviour !" 

This emotion proved too much for 
her feeble state of body. Her hands 
fell, her eyes became fixed, and, to all 
appearance, she ceased for some mi- 
nutes to breathe. We all thought her 
dead ; but after a while we saw again 
the signs of remaining life. In half 
an hour she opened her eyes, and, 
looking on all around with a strong 
expression of sweetness and pleasure, 
she said, " I have had a glimpse of 
heaven ! my happy mother is there ! 
and — " she appeared desirous of say- 
ing more, but was prevented by along 
and violent fit of coughing. When 
this had ceased, she lay very still for 
some minutes, with her eyes closed ; 
she then gradually raised her hands, 



26 



GRACE KING. 



without opening her eyes, and, with a 
faint and sinking voice, said, " I am 
going to Jesus ! farewell ! farewell !" 
In a very few moments she ceased 
to breathe. v 




There was one very commendable 
trait in the character of Grace King 
which we must not forget to record, 
and that was her great industry. She 
was never, after her conversion, un- 
employed, nor was she ever triflingly 
employed. To the study of her daily 






GRACE KING. 27 

lessons she applied herself with all 
her powers ; and when these were 
finished, she either strove to make 
herself useful in the household busi- 
ness, or she plied her needle to some 
useful and profitable purpose. In fact, 
such were her constant habits of use- 
ful labour, that Mrs. G- has often 

been heard to say, " Grace is no bill 
of cost to us ; she regularly pays her 
way." Thus, we see, this dear child 
w r as " diligent in business," as well as 
" fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." 
How much better it is for little chil- 
dren to be engaged in some useful 
employment than to be suffered to 
trifle away their hours in entire idle- 
ness, or in killing time by ruinous and 
dissipating amusements. Besides, if 
children are not early taught habits 
of industry, they generally, in after 
life, become indolent and worthless 
members of society, and not unfre- 



28 GRACE KING. 

quently vagabonds, and a curse to 
their generation; for 

" As the twig is bent the tree's inclined." 

Idleness is a sin against God and na- 
ture, and it is the fruitful parent of 
wretchedness, and of many vices. 
The child that is not engaged in some 
useful or innocent employment will 
not long remain pure and guiltless, 

" For Satan finds some mischief still 
For idle hands to do." 

And the Scriptures speak very strong- 
ly against idleness. It is there said, 
" If a man will not work, neither shall 
he eat ;" that " an idle soul shall suf- 
fer hunger;" that " drowsiness shall 
clothe a man in rags ;" and that " want 
shall come upon the sluggard as an 
armed man." Let my young reader 
hear this, and guard against idleness. 
After her conversion, little Grace 
continued to give strong evidence of 



GRACE KING. 29 

her love to the cause of God, and of 
her heartfelt concern for the good of 
souls, by labours to support the insti- 
tutions of benevolence and religion, 
and by the conversations which she 
held with children in the neighbour- 
hood. This lovely child was inces- 
sant in her efforts to obtain contribu- 
tions for the Bible and missionary 
societies, and for the sabbath-school 
cause. A great many small, and not 
a few large contributions were ob- 
tained by the mild and untiring soli- 
citations of this little labourer. Indeed, 
she made successful applications for 
money where almost every other per- 
son would have despaired or failed. 
I will relate an anecdote in point. A 
certain gentleman, who made no pro- 
fession of religion, and who was uni- 
versally notorious for his parsimony, 
was asked, why he always gave mo- 
ney to Grace when she applied to 



30 GRACE KING. 

him: lie replied, " There is something 
so sweet, so modest, and so heavenly 
in the very looks and manners of that 
child, that I am constrained to give ; 
I cannot refuse her; indeed, I am so 
fully impressed with the belief that it 
will be w r isely and usefully applied, 
that I cannot deny her request." 
Many a Bible has been furnished to 
the destitute, many a missionary of 
the cross has been cheered in his toil, 
and many a sabbath-school scholar 
has been aided in acquiring saving 
knowledge, by the money collected 
by Grace King. Though young in 
years, yet she had many works of 
faith and labours of love ; and she is 
now reaping her reward in heaven ! 
O, I wish my young readers could 
have seen this little girl, with her - 
bright countenance, and her book for 
subscriptions in her hand, passing 
from house to house. I think 4 her ex- 









GRACE KING. 31 

ample would have provoked them to 
similar exertions. 

We have said, too, that Grace im- 
proved every opportunity to instruct 
and to admonish the children who fell 
in her way ; and she was every way- 
qualified for such duties ; for she had 
clear views of the great doctrines of 
revelation, and she possessed a happy 
faculty of communicating her know- 
ledge to children of her own age, and 
of doing this in language which they 
could feel. Her admonitions and ex- 
hortations were always offered with 
such mildness, seriousness, and fer- 
vour, that they were both received and 
felt by the children to whom they 
were addressed. But the labours of 
Grace were not confined to children, 
as the following short letter will show. 
It was addressed to a lady who did 
not profess religion, and it was writ- 



32 GRACE KING. 

ten but a short time before she was 
taken sick. 

"R , July 20, 18—. 

" Dear Madam, — Do not be angry 
with me for the liberty which I now 
take in addressing a few lines to yon ; 
but be pleased to forgive the seeming 
forwardness of a child. Nothing short 
of deep concern for your greatest be- 
nefit could have moved me to take 
this course. I wish to discharge what 
I feel to be my duty, and therefore 
entreat you to bear with me, and to 
forgive me if I err. 

u Dear madam, you have lived a 
great many years in God's world. 
You have received and enjoyed a 
great many mercies and blessings 
from your Maker's hands. You have 
been blessed with a great many pri- 
vileges and means of being made a 
holy Christian; and the 'Lord has 
indeed done great things for you.' 



GRACE KINO. 33 

But have you properly improved your 
time, your mercies, and your powers, 
to the glory of God ? Have you given 
'all diligence to make your calling 
and election sure V Have you done 
your duty to yourself, to your fellow- 
creatures, and to your God ? Are 
you now prepared by grace for death, 
for judgment, and for heaven ? 

" Pardon my boldness, madam, for 
my fears urge me on. I think you 
must Know that you are not prepared 
to die. Are you not neglecting, whol- 
ly neglecting the great salvation ? Do 
you not know that if the Scriptures 
be true, you have no solid hope ? For 
without a present sensible interest in 
Christ, and without holiness, no one 
can see the Lord. 

" O, madam, suffer a child, who has 

'tasted that the Lord is gracious,' to 

exhort you to think on these things, 

and to lay them to heart O, now, 

3 



34 GRACE KING. 

1 while it is called to-day/ resolve to 
break friendship with the world, to 
deny yourself of sin, to give yourself 
to God in Christ, and to live the rest 
of your days wholly to the glory of 
your Maker and Judge. Remember, 
your time is short! death may be 
standing at your door ! and eternity, 
yes, eternity is just before you ! 

" Believe me, madam, when I say 
it is love, pure love to your soul, that 
has constrained me to write these 
lines. If it appear mere forwardness 
to you, pray forgive me this wrong, 
and believe me to be yours sincerely, 

" G. King." 

These labours of love were not in 
vain, for there are numbers now liv- 
ing who still bless God for the admo- 
nitions and instructions of this child ; 
and though the lady to whom the 
above letter was addressed really ap- 
peared to many to be " a hopeless 



GRACE KING. 35 

case/' yet it is known that the child's 
labour made a deep impression upon 
her ; and it is the opinion of her 
friends that she was saved at the 
eleventh hour. 

A few days before Grace died, she 
requested permission to see all the 
children of the sabbath school belong- 
ing to her class, and in this she was 
indulged. When they stood around 
her bed, and she w^as raised to a sit- 
ting posture, she surveyed them with 
a meek and heavenly smile. Though 
she was but the shadow of a human 
form, being so much wasted by dis- 
ease, yet she addressed the children 
with a clearness and a force which 
astonished all that heard her. Hav- 
ing looked around upon them for some 
time, with a sweet and conciliatory 
smile, she commenced her address by 
thanking them for coming to see her 
in her affliction. She told them that 



36 GRACE KING. 

she expected soon to die ; that she 
was going soon into eternity ; that 
she was not afraid of death, and that 
she had a desire to be gone. She 
told them she knew that she was by 
nature unholy, and that she had sinned 
against God ; but she knew, also, that 
there was a Saviour ; and she knew 
that that Saviour was her Saviour, 
And "This" she exclaimed, "this is 
the reason why I am not afraid to 
die!" 

She now proceeded to speak to the 
children on the subject of their sinful- 
ness, their danger, and their duty; 
and so pointedly, so pathetically, did 
she speak, that there was not a dry 
eye in the room. Nothing was heard, 
excepting her sweet voice, but sighs, 
and weeping, and mourning. After 
a few prayers had been offered, she 
took leave of the class, by taking each 
by the hand, and charging them, indi- 



GRACE KING 37 

vidually, to " meet her in the glorious 
heaven above." It is believed that 
her last interview with her class was 
signally owned and blessed of God. 
The adults present felt it, and were 
moved to give themselves wholly to 
the Lord. And many of the children 
who were then present are now 
" burning and shining lights" in the 
church. They have given themselves 
to God, and are walking so as to 
adorn their high and holy calling. 
Thus this dear child, " being dead, 
yet speaketh" in the fruit of her la- 
bours. 

While little Grace lay on her last 
bed of sickness she was visited by a 
maternal uncle, who had long been 
absent from home, a soldier in foreign 
lands. When she was told that he 
was her own mother's brother, she 
affectionately embraced him, and 
pressed her pale lips to his cheek, 



38 GRACE KING. 

while tears bedewed the cheeks of 
both. After she became composed, 
she said, " Uncle, I love you, because 
you are the brother of my own mo- 
ther. My mother G- tells me that 

my own mother was your sister ; that 
my mother was a true and devoted 
servant of the Saviour ; and that she 
died ascribing praise and thanksgiving 
to him ; now, I hope you are as good 
and as happy as my dear mother w r as." 
The uncle took deep interest in the 
welfare of Grace, and laboured to en- 
tertain her by relating the wonders 
he had seen and heard in his travels. 
To these relations she often listened 
with fixed attention. One day she 
said, " Uncle, you certainly have seen 
many great and strange things in your 
travels ; but suffer me to ask if you 
ever met with the Lord Jesus Christ, 
the sinner's great friend ?" She add- 
ed, " I put this question for two rea- 



GRACE KING. 39 

sons; first, because you do not often 
mention his name when you tell me 
of what you met with ; and secondly, 
because I feel anxious that you should 
know him, and the power of his resur- 
rection." This was an attack not to 
be evaded. After a short pause, she 
took her uncle's hand, and looking 
him affectionately in the face, she 
said, " My dear uncle, do you know 
the Lord Jesus Christ; and do you 
feel that he is your Saviour ?" The 
old veteran could resist no longer ; he 
burst into tears, and said, " I do not, 
but I hope I shall." To this she de- 
voutly answered, "Amen" 

Before Grace died, she received a 
promise from her uncle that he would 
renounce the world and sin, and seek 
for a saving knowledge of her blessed 
Saviour. And we are happy to be 
able to record the fact, that he did 
keep the promise made to the dying 



40 GRACE KING. 

child ; and that, soon after her death, 
he was made a witness of the power 
of Christ to save sinners. The uncle 
is still alive ; he is still in the good 
way, and living an exemplary life. 

About a week or two before her 
death, Grace was visited by her be- 
loved pastor, who, among other things, 
said to her, "My dear child, though 
young, yet you have made a great 
profession before the church and the 
world. Now I wish to know how 
you feel on this subject when confined 
to this bed of pain, and when there is 
before you the prospect of a speedy 
death?" The little sufferer, folding 
her hands, very calmly replied, "I 
feel, sir, that I have not believed a 
cunningly devised fable ; but I feel f 
sir, that the gospel of Christ is the 
power of God unto my salvation! 
The light on my path must come from 
Him in whom there is no darkness at 



GRACE KING. 41 

all. The peace which fills my mind 
must be the peace of God. The love 
which warms my heart must have 
come from Him who is love. And the 
hope which now supports and cheers 
me must have come from ' the God of 
hope !' Yes, ' it is the Lord's doings, 
and it is marvellous in mine eyes.' 
To the great, the triune God, be all 
the praise and the glory, both now 
and for ever." 

The pastor tnen said to her, "My 
dear child, if you die of this sickness 
you will die very young ; do you not 
desire to get well, in order that you 
may know more of this world, and be 
made still more useful in it?" To this 
she answered, very calmly, and with 
strong marks of humility, " I feel no 
such desire ; if God see proper to raise 
me up from the bed of pain, and if 
he see fit to appoint me more work 
on earth, why, he knows that I am 



42 GRACE KING. 

willing; but if it be his blessed will 
that I shall now die, which I think it 
is, I should rather prefer to die. But 
in fact I have no choice ; I have no 
desire in this matter ; I say, i Father, 
thy will be done.'" 



CONCLUSION. 

My Young Reader, — You may 
learn from these statements, that you 
are not too young to become seriously 
and truly religious ; for here you have 
proof in the case of one who was, 
perhaps, much younger than you are. 
Shall not her bright and powerful ex- 
ample move you to give your heart 
to God ? and move you to give it now ? 
Delays are dangerous ! You will 
never find a better time than the pre- 
sent to begin to serve the Lord. You 



GRACE KING. 43 

will never find fewer hinderances in 
your way than you now do. Your 
heart will become more unbelieving, 
and more in love with the world and 
sin, the longer you delay. 

Remember you are not too young 
to die. Grace King died before she 
was fourteen years old. If you should 
be taken down by such a fever as she 
had, and should, like her, become de- 
lirious, and die in that state, what 
would become of you? O, think on 
these things ; and now, before you lay 
down this book, resolve to seek reli- 
gion, to serve God, and to prepare for 
eternity. Read over again the expe- 
rience of Grace, and notice particu- 
larly the way she took to find the Sa- 
viour. Above all, pray earnestly and 
constantly to God for direction, and 
power, and grace. He will not suffer 
you to be deceived, or lost; for he 



44 GRACE KING. 

has said, " They that seek me early 
shall find me." 

The Lord give us all grace to seek 
his face and favour, for Christ's sake. 
Amen. 



DIARY. 

I shall now place before my read- 
ers a few extracts from a diary which 
was kept by Grace King during a few 
of the latter years of her life. But, in 
doing this, I feel that I have to per- 
form a painful task; for I consider 
the whole so very excellent that, to 
deprive the reader of any portion, 
seems to me like injustice to her me- 
mory. Under my present impressions, 
I should lay the whole before my read- 
ers, were I not deterred by the fear 



GRACE KING. 45 

of making the book too large. I shall 
begin these extracts with what she 
wrote in the commencement of the 
year 18 — . 

" Jan. 1. — This is the sixth new- 
year's day I have seen since I expe- 
rienced the new birth. I feel happy 
to know that I begin this year in the 
fear of God, and in the enjoyment of 
his favour. I know not what may be- 
fall me in the year on which I have 
now entered. Perhaps severe suffer- 
ing and affliction, or even death. How- 
ever, I do not feel dismayed, for the 
1 Lord is my portion,' and I know he 
has said, ' As thy day is, so shall thy 
strength be.' Then welcome life or 
death, for God is with me; of what 
or of whom shall I be afraid ? If life 
be continued, I feel resolved to live 
near to God, to improve the mercies 
put into my hands, and to embrace 
every opportunity of improving my 



46 GRACE KING. 

mind by reading, and by conversa- 
tion with the wise and good. I intend 
to adopt a regular method of reading 
the Scriptures ; by reading three chap- 
ters every day, one in the historical, 
one in the prophetical, and one in the 
evangelical portions. I shall be able, 
with the exception of a few chapters, 
to read the Bible through in one year. 
The rest of my spare time shall be 
spent in reading such authors as may 
explain those scriptures which I read 
for the day ; or, as may otherwise in- 
form and improve my mind. Above 
all things, I feel determined to prove 
the sincerity of my faith, and the re- 
ality of my conversion, by the purity 
of my tempers, and the rectitude of 
my life. 

" O God, my God, I know that my 
present resolutions will be broken, un- 
less thou shalt bless me, and defend 
me from evil. Let thy strength be 



GRACE KING. 47 

made perfect in my weakness, that I 
may be steadfast, and may show forth 
thy praise. 

1 In all my sufferings may I have 
The promised, needful grace ; 
Have the Almighty near to save, 
And see thy smiling face.' 

" Jan. 10. — I feel somewhat feeble 
and unwell in body, but I bless my 
heavenly Parent I feel strong, and 
much engaged in mind. Truly the 
Lord has done great things for me, a 
poor orphan, in raising up friends who 
fear his name, and who make his 
glory their chief end. Glory be to 
God, it is to the instructions, admo- 
nitions, prayers, and godly example 
of these friends, under God, that I am 
indebted for my superior religious 
light and spiritual enjoyment. O my 
God, give me grace that I may w-alk 
worthy of my great advantages, may 
make faithful improvement of them, 



' 



48 GRACE KING, 

and may experience their happy ten- 
dency, both in time and eternity. 
Were it in my power to add to the 
happiness of my dear, dear friends, 
how gladly would I do it ! My father 

G told me this morning that his 

comfort was, in a great measure, con- 
nected with the religious improvement 
of the family: he said, with a solem- 
nity of look, and tone of voice, which 
moved my heart, ' Grace, we must be 
more holy.' O, my Saviour, give me 
a fresh start for the kingdom, that my 
life and testimony may gladden the 
hearts of my pious friends, and that I 
may glorify thy name. 

"Jan. 16. — The grand adversary 
has thrust sore at me this day. He 
has tempted me strongly to call in 
question the reality of that work of 
grace of which my indulgent God has 
given me the fullest evidence. He has 
suggested that my conversion, of 






GRACE KING. 49 

which I have thought and said so 
much, is, perhaps, a mere delusion of 
my own imagination. This assault I 
was enabled to resist, by adverting to 
the time and place of my deliverance, 
and by calling earnestly and frequent- 
ly upon my God. So true is that 
scripture, ' Resist the devil, and he 
will flee from you ; draw nigh unto 
God, and he will draw nigh unto you/ 

I opened my case to father G ; he 

told me that it was by no means sin- 
gular ; that he, and many of his ac- 
quaintance, had often been assaulted 
in the same way, and that ? no tempt- 
ation hath happened to us but such as 
is common to man; He added, \ It 
is no sin to be tempted, for the imma- 
culate Jesus himself was tempted; 
and that temptations cannot become 
occasions of guilt unless they are com- 
plied with. I thank God for a friend at 
hand so competent to succour and re- 

4 



50 GRACE KING. 

lieve my inexperienced and youthful 
mind. May I always take his advice 
and counsel, and improve by them. 
O, my God, when the enemy comes 
in like a flood upon my soul, may thy 
Spirit lift up a standard against him, 
and may I be kept, by thy power, se- 
cure from the effects of his malicious 
and destructive designs. 

"Jan. 21.— -My mind has, this day, 
been much drawn out in prayer. I 
have visited i the throne of grace' se- 
ven times, and every time I have en- 
joyed the presence and blessing of 
my heavenly Father. Nay, this has 
been, literally, a day of prayer ; for I 
have lived in the spirit and frame of 
devotion the whole day ; and the con- 
sequence is, I have not been troubled 
with any vain thoughts ; temptations 
have had no power ; and my mind has 
been kept in perfect peace. Mr. T. 
J. gave us a refreshing sermon from 



GRACE KING. 51 

1 Cor. xv, 3, ' Christ died for our 
sins, according to the Scriptures.' 
After an introduction, in which he 
showed that the birth, the life, and the 
sufferings, as well as the death, of our 
Lord, were all ' according' to the pro- 
phecies of Scripture, he proceeded to 
the doctrine of the text, viz., 'That 
Christ died as the substitute for man ; 
or, that he endured and suffered va- 
rious penal evils, in our room and 
stead.' He remarked, 'Some peo- 
ple say, that Christ came as a teacher 
and as a martyr for the truth, and that 
this is all true ; but,' he added, 'if he 
did not die as our substitute, 1, Why 
was he ushered into the world with 
such pomp and grandeur ; by types, by 
prophecy, by promise, and by the ap- 
pearance of divine and celestial mes- 
sengers at his birth, baptism, &c. ? 
2, What rational interpretation can 
be given of the scriptures which speak 






52 GRACE KING. 

of his atonement, and his sacrificial 
sufferings and death? 3, If he died 
only as a martyr, did he not betray 
uncommon weakness, when compared 
with many martyrs who have died 
since ? He said, " Father, if it be pos- 
sible, let this cup pass from me ;" and, 
"My God, my God, why hast thou 
forsaken me." The fact is, " He bore 
our sins in his own body on the tree." 
The curse of the law was upon him ; 
for the Lord " laid on him the iniquity 
of us all." After establishing the doc- 
trine, the preacher proceeded to make 
some practical improvement ; and re- 
marked, 1, 'How great are our obli- 
gations to love the Lord Jesus Christ. 
2, How fearful the conduct of those 
who rob Christ of his merit as the 
propitiation. 3, And how great the 
guilt of a\\ such as slight and neglect 
this benevolent and only Saviour/ 



GRACE KING. 53 

For such a precious Saviour bless 
thou the Lord, O my soul. 

" Jan. 28, — Though I have been 
detained from the house of God this 
day, yet, I thank the Lord, I have 
partaken largely of his Spirit and 
grace. While my Christian brethren 
were engaged in acts of devotion in 
the public sanctuary, I remembered 
1 the hour of prayer ;' and though I 
was • absent in body,' yet I was not 
so in mind. I lifted my heart, and 
made known my desires to Him who 
seeth in secret, and he condescended 
to bless me. Blessed be the Lord for 
all his goodness to me. 

" Feb. 3. — I have just returned from 
witnessing the last moments of Mr. 
S. M., an old and faithful soldier of 
the cross. His way through life has 
been beset with thorns and briers, for 
he has met with much opposition from 
men and devils ; but still he has main- 



54 GRACE KING. 

tained his peace with God, and kept 
himself unspotted from the world. 
His last affliction has been of many 
months' continuance ; but, during the 
whole time, he has lived in the exer- 
cise of unfeigned submission and gra- 
titude, saying, \ It is the Lord, let him 
do what seemeth him good ;' ' The 
Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken 
away, blessed be the name of the 
Lord.' A few hours before he breathed 
his last, he said, ' The separation from 
my old friends would be very painful, 
were it not for the assurance that they 
will soon rejoin me in heaven, and 
that I shall, after death, meet with 
better companions than this world can 
furnish.' A few moments before he 
died, I inquired respecting the state 
of his mind; and he answered, *I have 
peace with God ; yes, unutterable 
peace ; and I shall soon join in praises 
to God and the Lamb,' Shortly after 



GRACE KING. 55 

he sung, with a feeble and trembling 
voice, the following lines : — 

* This lying world still courts my stay, 
But Jesus beckons me away, 
And calls me to his rest ; 
Vain world, adieu ! I cannot stay ; 
Lo, Gabriel waits to point the way 
To my Redeemer's breast ! 

My friends, farewell ! I love you still, 
But lo, I rise the sacred hill 

Where faithful souls reside ; 
Hark ! hark ! the music of their song — 
Behold, I see the heavenly throng, 

And shall with them abide ! 5 

On finishing these lines, he was near- 
ly suffocated by the rising of phlegm 
in his throat; however, having ob- 
tained a moment's relief, he broke 
out, with a voice so strong as to asto- 
nish all in the room, saying, 'O grave, 
where is thy victory ! O death, where 
is thy sting !' After this he turned 
upon his side, and quietly fell asleep 



56 GRACE KING. 

in Jesus, in the eighty-fourth year of 
his age. Such was the closing scene 
of a Christian pilgrimage of more than 
half a century. We meet with but 
few professors of so mild a temper, 
and so unblameable a conversation, 
as our old departed friend. He has 
left us an example which calls for our 
admiration and imitation. With truth 
it may be said of him, ' Mark the per- 
fect man, and behold the upright, for 
the end of that man is peace.' O, my 
Saviour, help me to live the life of 
the righteous, that I may be so happy 
as to die his death. 

"Feb. 16. — Part of this day has 
been spent in company congenial to 
my views and feelings; with such 
people I could cheerfully spend all 
my days, and with them I should wish 
to die. I heard nothing said that can 
be deemed trifling, frivolous, or unim- 
portant ; the whole conversation was 



GRACE KING. 57 

6 seasoned with grace.' A few of the 
company favoured us with a history 
of their religious experience ; their 
narratives were brief, artless, and un- 
adorned ; yet they were sober, ration- 
al, and spiritual. These accounts 
have done me good ; they served to 
bring to my remembrance days which 
are passed, and to inspire resolutions 
to double my diligence, and to im- 
prove my remaining hours. I felt 
constrained to sing, — 

' And if our fellowship below 
In Jesus be so sweet ; 
What height of rapture shall we know 
When round his throne we meet.' 

That dear man of God, Mr. W., closed 
our interview with prayer ; and such 
a man for power and faith in prayer 
I think I never heard. He spent no 
time in complimenting the Deity on 
the dignity of his nature, the magni- 



58 GRACE KING. 

tude of his works, or the mystery of 
his providence ; but, like a man fami- 
liar with God, and living in his pre- 
sence, he came directly to the sacred 
throne. He commended us, collec- 
tively and individually, to the mercy 
and protection of God ; and he closed 
with hearty thanksgiving for the ' fel- 
lowship of saints.' Lord, teach me 
how to pray ; how to pray with child- 
like simplicity and humble confidence. 
" Feb. 26. — I have been very pro- 
fitably employed, for the last few days, 
in reading that edifying book, 'The 
Saints' Rest. 7 I see clearly that there 
is nothing worthy of our desire and 
labour, in comparison with heaven. 
That is the only place and state of 
true and perfect repose. ' There the 
wicked cease from troubling, and there 
the weary are at rest.' Blessed be thy 
name, O God, for the assurance that 
1 there remains a rest for the people 



GRACE KING. 59 

of God.' O, my Lord, thou seest me 
willing to toil, and labour, and suffer, 
and to do this with all my might, and 
through all my days, if thou wilt at 
last admit me to thy presence, ' where 
there is fulness of joy, and where 
there are pleasures for evermore.' 
According to Mr. Baxter, a high de- 
gree of personal holiness is necessary 
in order to get safely to heaven. This 
I know to be the doctrine of the New 
Testament. O God, perfect the good 
work which thou hast begun in me, 
and make me fully ' meet for the in- 
heritance of the saints in light.' 

" March 1. — This morning Miss D., 
the daughter of a person who has 
lately come to reside in this village, 
presented me with a card of invitation 
to attend a party at her father's house. 
On my declining it, she remarked, 1 1 
can see no impropriety in a party of 
young people spending a few hours 



60 GRACE KING. 

of the evening in innocent amuse- 
ment.' Perhaps she can see "no evil 
in it, but I thank God that such a 
manner of spending time is contrary 
to my principles and wishes. I can- 
not see how persons who spend their 
time at balls and card tables, can 
have a conscience- void of offence; or 
how they can lay claim to the high 
character of Christians. I wish to 
1 redeem the time ;' to ' flee the ap- 
pearance of evil;' and to 'keep myself 
unspotted from the world.' Believing 
that l evil communications corrupt 
good manners,' and that ' a companion 
of fools shall be destroyed,' I have 
resolved to 'come out from among 
the ungodly,' and to be ' a companion 
of them that fear God.' O may divine 
grace assist me to keep out of the way 
of temptation, and in the way of duty. 
"March 12. — This has truly been 
a gracious and a high day to my soul. 



GRACE KING. 61 

I have had the privilege of meeting 
with the saints, and of attending the 
house of God, three times this day ; 
and, what is best of all, I met with 
'the sinner's Friend' every time. Bless 
the Lord, O my soul. The sermon 
in the afternoon was particularly 
pleasing and profitable t6 me. The 
subject was the history of blind Bar- 
timeus, as recorded by St. Mark. After 
paraphrasing the text, the preacher 
proceeded to consider it as * descrip- 
tive of the natural and sinful state of 
man, of the penitent sinner's return, 
and of the success which attends his 
application to Christ.' Under the first 
head he considered the natural and 
sinful state of man as a state of mo- 
ral darkness and of spiritual indigence.' 
1 Blind Bartimeus sat by the highway 
side, begging.' These ideas he illus- 
trated by a reference to the present 
condition of the heathen, and by a spi- 



.■• 



62 GRACE KING. 

rited appeal to the state and conduct 
of the unconverted in Christendom. 
Under the second head he pointed 
out clearly the steps in the sinner's re- 
turn to God ; such as, hearing of Je- 
sus, praying to him, the attention of 
the Saviour to his prayer, the assist- 
ance of friends, resolute personal 
efforts, and an interview with the Sa- 
viour; all which were exemplified in 
the case of the blind man. Under 
his third head he described, beauti- 
fully, the fruits and effects of saving 
faith. He showed how the penitent 
believer is translated out of * the king- 
dom of darkness,'' and made a child 
of light; and how, in consequence, he 
becomes a confirmed and persevering 
follower of the bleeding Lamb. This 
sermon was at once figurative, Scrip- 
tural, and experimental ; it was just 
such a sermon as I love to hear ; for 
such cannot fail to please and to edify. 



GRACE KING. 63 

Were such sermons more frequently 
preached, I believe we should see 
more conversions, and believers would 
be found in a more prosperous condi- 
tion. The preacher is not yet twenty 
years of age. May God keep him 
humble, and make him abundantly 
useful. I really fear that I am not 
sufficiently thankful for such Christian 
sabbaths as this has been ; I have 
indeed sat in heavenly places with 
Christ, and with my brethren. My 
fellowship has been so delightful as 
to make me forget my connection with 
earth ; and yet, blessed be God, this 
is only a faint foretaste of that endless 
sabbath to which, I trust, I am hasten- 
ing. 

" March 26. — Christian sabbaths 
and sanctuary privileges are truly 
sweet and delightful to me ; and I 
can say, with unaffected sincerity, 
'How amiable are thy tabernacles, 



64 GRACE KING. 

Lord of hosts !' I have felt, this 
blessed day, as I have often felt 
before, that I should like to live and 
die in the house of God. I felt con- 
strained to say, 

1 My happy soul would stay 
In such a frame as this, 
And sit, and sing herself away 
To everlasting bliss.* 

1 took short notes of one sermon to- 
day ; it was very edifying to me. The 
text was, Luke i, 3, 4 : * That thou 
mightest know the certainty of those 
things/ &c. After an ingenious in- 
troduction, the preacher proposed to 
inquire, \ What the things are in which 
Christianity instructs us ; and how we 
may know the certainty of these things. 
Under the first inquiry he noticed, 
1 The fallen condition of man, the 
love of God to him, the universality 
and all-sufficiency of Christ's atone- 



j 



GRACE KING. 65 

ment, the nature of salvation in ge- 
neral, the terms of personal salvation, 
and the retributions of eternity/ 
These subjects were clearly illus- 
trated and powerfully applied. Un- 
der the second inquiry, How may we 
know the truth and certainty of these 
things, he showed, clearly, that this 
was attainable. 'By reading and 
studying the evidences of the divine 
origin of the Scriptures, by daily pray- 
erful reading of the Scriptures, and 
meditating theron, and by seeking, 
properly, to be made partakers of the 
grace of the gospel.' This sermon 
was very long, but it did not appear 
to tire the congregation ; and, for my 
own part, I could have sat two hours 
longer. The absurdity and folly of 
infidelity appeared most glaringly. I 
thank God for such able defenders 
of the truth as it is in Christ. The 
gospel is the word of God. 

5 ^.l-^M"^^^* 



66 GRACE KING. 

"March 31.— One of my maternal 
uncles has made a visit to-day at our 
house ; he has been a great traveller, 
and is an enthusiast in politics. He 
seems to think that Providence has 
something dreadful in store for the 
monarchies and empires of the world. 
But these are things that do not inte- 
rest rne much ; and whatever may be- 
fall nations, or governments, I know 
that religion is the one thing needful, 
and I am determined to seek the glory 
of God. My political sufferings or 
privileges cannot be of long duration. 
I feel that the seeds of mortality are 
sown in my flesh ; and my interest in 
the affairs of this world must soon 
cease. I will hasten to Mount Zion, 
to the city of God, and to the multi- 
tude before the throne of the Lamb. 
O my Maker and my Judge, finish 
the work of righteousness in me, and 
then receive me to thy eternal king- 



GRACE KING. 67 

dom. I fear that my uncle does not 
possess the piety which shone so 
strongly in the life and death of my 
now glorified mother. O Lord, give 
me ■ a word in season' for my thought- 
less uncle, and do thou bless it to the 
benefit of his soul. 

" April 7. — I have been spared to 
enjoy another blessed Lord's day. 
This we call the Lord's day, because 
he triumphed on the first day by his 
resurrection from the dead ; this there- 
fore is the Christian's sabbath. We 
have the authority of apostolic exam- 
ple for keeping the first day as ' a sab- 
bath unto the Lord.' My poor soul 
is often pained by witnessing the pro- 
fanation of this sacred portion of time, 
and by seeing men who indulge their 
thoughts, and pursue their own ways, 
on this day. O that they were wise, 
that they understood their true inte- 



68 GRACE KING. 

rests, and would c remember the sab- 
bath day to keep it holy.' 

The Rev. Mr. S. preached to us to- 
day. I think his language this after- 
noon was not sufficiently guarded. 
The doctrine which he delivered is, 
indeed, an important Scripture truth, 
and it is the duty of the ministry to 
publish it to the ends of the earth, 
but it requires some skill and caution 
to preserve it from abuse. That sin- 
ners are saved by grace, and by grace 
alone, every one must believe who 
takes the Bible for his guide ; for it is 
written, ' By grace are ye saved.' But 
when this doctrine is preached, ought 
it not, at the same time, to be stated, 
that it is the duty of man ' to work 
out his salvation,' while ' God works 
in him to will and to do ?' To preach 
salvation by grace alone, without in- 
sisting on the necessity of repentance, 
faith, and the use of means, is calcu- 



A 



GRACE KING. 69 

lated to make the sinner easy in his 
sins ; at least it is liable to such abuse 
by profane and ignorant people. Be- 
sides, the preaching of the doctrine, 
without insisting on the persevering 
discharge of every personal and rela- 
tive duty, is to rock the worldly and 
formal professor of religion in the 
cradle of carnal security ; it may be- 
tray souls into practical Antinomian- 
ism. While we avoid the error of 
salvation by works, either in whole 
or in part, we must guard against the 
opposite extreme ; and this may be 
done by declaring, that ' grace always 
reigns through righteousness unto 
eternal life.' O thou Fountain of 
light, graciously guide me and all 
thy people into all truth. 

" April 15. — Either I am greatly 
mistaken in my views of politeness, 
or a pretended man of the world that 
I met in company this day is much 



70 GRACE KING. 

wanting in the art and practice of good 
breeding. The company consisted 
principally of ladies of professed piety, 
and yet this gentleman paid his court 
to the company by saying some very 
improper things, and by embellishing 
many of his sentences with foul words 
and oaths. Had he been ignorant of 
the religious character of the com- 
pany, he might have been more ex- 
cusable. But I suppose he intended 
to convince the ladies that his philo- 
sophy had rendered him superior to 
vulgar prejudices, and that his con- 
science was not disturbed by the fear 
of an imaginary judgment to come. 
If this were his intention, he certainly 
took an effectual plan to accomplish 
his end. However, I think that true 
politeness would have taught him to 
treat what he might deem the super- 
stitious views and weak feelings of 
the sex with less open and public dis- 



/ 



GRACE KING. 71 

respect. How foolish do unbelievers 
sometimes make themselves appear, 
with all their boasted superiority of 
reason and philosophy. My God, 
give me the wisdom which is from 
above, and teach me the happy art 
of pleasing and profiting by my pre- 
sence and conversation. O, never 
suffer me to feel as if I were wiser 
than what thou hast written. 

" April 26.— We are told that ' the 
soul of righteous Lot was vexed from 
day to day with the filthy conversa- 
tion of the wicked.' I am not asto- 
nished at this, if they were acquainted 
with only half of the present vocabu- 
lary of oaths and curses. I have spent 
a day where I have been more ex- 
posed to the sound of vile language 
than I am in my own neighbourhood, 
and it is not possible for me to describe 
the painful feelings which hearing it 
has produced in my mind. I would 



72 GRACE KING. 

not be hired to lire where my ears 
are stunned, and my soul wounded, 
by such incessant volleys of oaths 
and blasphemies, by all the riches of 
the Indies. Surely the persons who 
make such irreverent use of the names 
and attributes of Deity must be, not 
only without hope, but also with- 
out the belief of a God in the world. 
At least, they do not consider that 
their Maker has said, ' Thou shalt not 
take the name of the Lord thy God in 
vain ; f and again, ■ Swear not at all/ 
Profane swearing is a very unprofit- 
able vice ; it can in no way add, either 
to the profit or reputation of those who 
are guilty of it. If my statement be 
true, it needs not the confirmation of 
an oath ; and if it be not true, the ad- 
dition of an oath must certainly tend 
to increase my guilt, and to lessen 
my credit. Profane swearing is no 
evidence of true courage, of wisdom, 



GRACE KING. 73 

or of politeness ; and yet it is common 
among such as esteem themselves men 
of fashion, and men of the world. 
Ought not gentlemen to quit a prac- 
tice so unmanly, so unprofitable, and 
so vulgar? 

" But if we consider this vice in a 
religious point of light, what will the 
swearer say for himself when he 
stands before the judgment-seat of 
Christ % Let all profane persons re- 
member the day of judgment, and 
consider their profaneness in the light 
of that day. O thou great Eternal, 
t turn a pure language upon the in- 
habitants of the earth,' and fill them 
with reverence for thy name. 

" April 29. — This day I have en- 
joyed the satisfaction of attending the 
dedication of another house to the 
worship of the living God ; and I do 
hope that the dedicatory prayer will 
be answered upon earth. This prayer, 



74 GRACE KING. 

as to style and variety, very much re- 
sembled the one which was offered by 
Solomon at the dedication of the tem- 
ple. It was offered fervently, and 
was responded to with deep and heart- 
felt feeling. The sermon was by the 
Rev. J. B., and was based on Psalm 
v, 7 : ' I will come into thy house in 
the multitude of thy mercy,' &c. 
After a few preliminary remarks, the 
preacher proposed to notice - The 
nature and design of Christian wor- 
ship, and the dispositions with which 
we ought to engage in social wor- 
ship.' On the first proposition he re- 
marked, l That Christian worship is 
social? 'Forsake not the assembling 
of yourselves together.' This has 
been the practice of saints in all ages 
of the world. ' Then they that feared 
the Lord spoke often one to another ;' 
6 Come, and let us bow down, let us 
kneel before the Lord our Maker.' 



GRACE KING. 75 

The primitive Christians met on the 
'first day' to worship. It is indeed 
the duty and privilege of every Chris- 
tian to worship God in private and 
in the family circle. Public social 
worship is attended with many advan- 
tages of edification, encouragement, 
comfort, &c. Public social worship 
consists of the exercise of gratitude 
and praise for mercies received, of the 
confession of sins and unworthiness, 
and of prayer for ourselves, the 
church, and the world, for temporal, 
spiritual, and eternal blessings. The 
design of social worship is, the glory 
of God; 'ye are not your own ;' and 
the benefit of man. ' In every place 
where my name is recorded, I will 
come unto thee and bless thee.' God 
meets with his people, he hears them, 
he answers them, and he makes them 
a blessing to each other.' On the se- 
cond proposition, 'the dispositions with 



76 GRACE KING. 

which we ought to attend public wor- 
ship/ he remarked, 'The psalmist 
says/ ' I will come into thy house, in 
the multitude of thy mercy.' 'This 
may imply, I will consider it a privi- 
lege to be a public worshipper. Or, 
I will come into thy house meditating 
on the mercy which thou hast shown 
me. The psalmist farther says, 'In 
thy fear will I worship / ' that is, all 
my acts of devotion shall be paid with 
suitable reverence. Or, I will cherish 
a filial fear of the great object of wor- 
ship. This would prevent all irreve- 
rence in God's house, such as talking, 
gazing about, &c. In such a worship- 
per there will be no indifference ; for 
the whole soul is engaged with God.' 
Such is a faint outline of the dis- 
course. But the manner, the action, 
the fervour, and the unction of the 
speaker, gave it a force and interest 
which I cannot put upon paper. I 



GRACE KING. 77 

bless thee, O my God, for the grace 
and mercies of this day. 

"May 5. — This day I spent a few 
hours in silent and devout reflection. 
Among the great variety of subjects 
which occupied my mind, none seemed 
to produce such sensible and solemn 
impressions as that of \ the judgment 
to come.' I conceived in my mind the 
idea of the heavens passing away 
with a great noise; the elements melt- 
ing with fervent heat ; and this earth 
itself as burning up. I thought of the 
sounding of the last trumpet, the re- 
surrection of the dead, the descent of 
the Judge, the opening of the books, 
and the various transactions of the 
day, so terribly glorious ! I thought, 
what must be the consternation of 
such as have treated the invitations 
and promises of the gospel with ne- 
glect ; have represented the omnipo- 
tent Judge as an impostor ; and have, 



78 GRACE KING. 

heretofore, thought this day of judg- 
ment a mere fable, or chimera of the 
brain! How solemnly affecting the 
consideration! The Scriptures re- 
present these sinners as calling upon 
the rocks to fall upon them, and the 
hills to cover them from the face of 
Him that sitteth upon the throne ! 
How probable this representation ! 
But what will such a prayer avail 
them f Alas ! alas ! the rocks and 
mountains are, themselves, unable to 
abide the presence of the great I am ! 
■ For the great day of his wrath is 
come, and who shall be able to stand?' 
"I now turned my thoughts to the 
consideration of the case of those who 
have made their ' calling and election 
sure.' I thought, what must be the 
height of their joy, when, notwith- 
standingtheir unworthiness, they hear 
the Judge say, * Come, ye blessed of 
my Father, inherit the kingdom pre- 



GRACE KING. 79 

pared for you,' and, ' Well done, good 
and faithful servant, enter ye into the 
joy of your Lord.' O, with what rap- 
ture will they exclaim, ' Worthy is 
the Lamb that was slain, and hath re- 
deemed us to God by his blood.' O, 
righteous Father, let thy Spirit wit- 
ness to the blood of my Saviour, and 
cause me to hope in thee. Here I 
tender thee my all. I surrender my 
soul and body, all I have and am, as 
thy rightful and exclusive property. 
O, mercifully take the offering, and 
seal me thine for ever. Amen. 

"May 13.— Although I felt my 
mind collected and stayed when I 
went to the house of God this after- 
noon, yet I did not find that spiritual 
refreshment after which I went. The 
cause may have been in myself ; but 
I feel disposed to attribute my disap- 
pointment, in some measure, to the 
preacher. The sermon was contro- 



80 GRACE KING. 

versial, and the language of the 
speaker did not evidence that charity 
which I think ought to be exercised 
by one Christian toward another who 
differs from him in unimportant opi- 
nions. Though I do not believe the 
doctrines which the Rev. Mr. L. con- 
troverted, yet I think that the piety 
and talents of our opponents are such 
as entitle them to more candour, 
and less severity of language, than 
the preacher manifested. I wish to 
be found doing to others as I would 
have them do to me ; and I am sure I 
should not like to hear my church as- 
sailed in the terms and spirit in which 
Mr. L. assailed our opponents. We 
are all confessedly fallible creatures. 
Some of us must indeed be in error ; 
but who, except the all-wise God, can 
decide the question ? Hence the ne- 
cessity of mutual forbearance, and of 
speaking of each other's doctrine 



i 



GRACE KING. 81 

with love and tenderness. I am far 
from thinking it a matter of indiffer- 
ence what opinions we embrace ; we 
should desire and labour after the 
1 truth as it is in Jesus.' And I think 
it is not improper to assail with spirit, 
and in terms that will be felt, the er- 
roneous doctrines which rob the Re- 
deemer of his glory, and which tend 
to demoralize and to destroy the souls 
of men. But the harmless notions 
of those who hold the fundamental 
doctrines of the gospel, such as the 
divinity and atonement of Christ, the 
influence of the Spirit in regeneration, 
the necessity of inward and outward 
holiness, and the eternity of future 
rewards and punishments, may, I 
think, be safely let alone. My gra- 
cious Saviour, give me the meek and 
lowly mind which was in thee. 

" May 28. — I have spent the last 

few days with the truly amiable and 
6 



82 GRACE KING, 

pious Mrs. W., by whose conversa- 
tion and prayers I have been greatly 
profited. Mrs. W. is a lady of great 
and deep experience in the things of 
God , and of strict purity and integrity 
of manners. She told me that it is 
her fixed rule to rise at four o'clock 
in summer, and at five o'clock in win- 
ter ; and to spend the first hour of 
every day in reading the Scriptures, 
meditation, and prayer. As she is a 
woman of general health, I presume 
her rule is not often violated. I am 
convinced that it would be beneficial 
to both body and soul if I should ac- 
quire the- habit of early rising, and I 
am determined to make an effort to 
do so. 

" The husband of Mrs. W. is some- 
what given to dissipation, which is a 
great source of trouble to her. He 
has been very much intoxicated once 
during my visit, but seemed afraid 



A 






GRACE KING. 83 

that I should see him. Drunkenness, 
in my humble opinion, is one of the 
meanest and most degrading of hu- 
man vices ; it sinks the rational be- 
neath the brutal creation ; and there 
is nothing too little for a man to stoop 
to during the maddening influence of 
strong drink. Hence, not to take into 
consideration the denunciations of 
Heaven against this sin, nor the great 
affliction which it produces in fami- 
lies, nor the poverty, the suffering, and 
the premature death, which the slave 
of strong drink brings upon himself, 
the single consideration of its degrad- 
ing effects is enough to confirm every 
reflecting person in a course of per- 
severing temperance. It is to me a 
very humiliating consideration, that 
numbers of my own sex have fallen 
under the dominion of this debasing 
and destructive vice. A drunken wo- 
man ! only think of that ! O thou, to 



84 GRACE KING. 

whom all power belongeth, suffer me 
not to fall under the power of any 
sin or passion which would rob me of 
character, and of thy favour : but let 
my heart be confirmed in the belief 
and love of the truth, and let me be 
always governed by thy law and 
spirit. 

" June 10. — This has been to me a 
pleasing and delightful day. There 
is something in the season of the 
year, and on the face of the earth, 
which fills the soul with pleasing joy. 
I could not refrain from repeating 
aloud, a number of times, the beauti- 
ful lines of Dr. Watts : 

* Sing to the Lord, exalt him high, 
Who spreads his clouds around the sky ; 
There he prepares the fruitful rain, 
Nor lets the drops descend in vain. 

He makes the grass the hills adorn ; 
He clothes the smiling fields with corn : 
The beasts with food his hands supply, 
And the young ravens when they cry.' 



GRACE KING. 85 

I went this morning from my closet to 
the house of prayer, and every step I 
took appeared like a step toward pa- 
radise. I entered the house of God 
with solemnity, and betook myself to 
the duties of devotion with all my 
heart. I wished to worship the Lord 
in the beauty of holiness. The sim- 
plicity, tenderness, and zeal of the 
preacher; the greatness, the spirit- 
uality, and the piety of the sermon ; 
and the earnestness, attention, and 
devotion of the people ; all combined 
to elevate my soul, and to give me a 
height of heavenly rapture which I 
never before experienced. O, thou 
blessed Supreme, take all the glory. 
Truly I should prefer being a • door- 
keeper in the house of God to a resi- 
dence in the sumptuous palaces of 
earthly princes. O my God, satisfy 
me early and constantly with thy 
mercy. 



86 GRACE KING. 

' Thy gifts, alas, cannot suffice, 

Unless thyself be given ; 
My soul for all thy fulness cries 
For all, in earth and heaven. 5 

" June 20.— I have had a long inter- 
view and much conversation with a 
real formal professor of religion. She 
strongly maintains, and tries to prove, 
that the whole sum of religion con- 
sists in ? doing no harm, in attending 
religious ordinances, and in relieving 
the poor.' These are, I fear, the views 
of a great many professing Christians. 
They are views which were enter- 
tained by the Pharisee, who said, 
' God, I thank thee that I am not as 
other men are ;' and they are views 
which I once indulged, when I tried 
to save myself; but I believe I have 
found a more excellent way. My op- 
ponent insisted on my being a fana- 
tic and enthusiast ; but, if I know my 
own heart, I am as far from being an 



GRACE KING. 87 

enthusiast as she can wish me. I wish 
to possess that religion which is equal- 
ly distant from the two extremes of 
torpid formality and passionate fana- 
ticism ; and which implies ' respect 
to all the commandments/ and ' joy 
in the Holy Ghost,' I am instructed 
by my Bible, and, I thank God, by 
my own experience, that pure religion 
has its seat in the heart, and that it is 
a thing which can be felt. St. Paul 
tells us, that ' the kingdom of God/ 
or true religion, ' is not meats and 
drinks, but righteousness, and peace, 
and joy in the Holy Ghost/ that ' the 
love of God is shed abroad in our 
hearts by the Holy Ghost given to 
us / and that ' the Spirit itself beareth 
witness with our spirits that we are 
the children of God.' But, wherever 
the inward principle is enjoyed, it 
will be manifested by pure thoughts, 
Christian temper, and holy behaviour. 



88 GRACE KING. 

"I tremble when I think of the 
thousands, and, perhaps, tens of thou- 
sands, who are deceiving themselves 
respecting the nature of religion ; and 
it is to be feared that many of these 
will go into eternity without discover- 
ing their error. The self-righteous 
will continue to suppose, that because 
they are just in their dealings, strict 
in their attendance on public and pri- 
vate duties of religion, and benevolent 
to the poor, they will surely get 
to heaven. O that I had a voice 
which could reach them. I would 
give the alarm. I would say to all, 
' Be not deceived !' ' Man is in 
darkness, and must be enlightened; 
he is guilty, and must be forgiven ; he 
is polluted, and must be sanctified ; he 
is the slave of sin, and must be made 
free ; he is wretched, and must be 
made happy. Such are the figures 
by which the Scriptures describe a 



GRACE KING. 89 

■■■; i.. j- 

religious change and state ; and can 
any man of common sense experience 
such a change, such a transition, 
without feeling it and knowing it ? 

' What we have felt and seen, 
With confidence we tell ; 
And publish to the sons of men 
The signs infallible. ' 

" June 25. — This morning my feel- 
ings were deeply wounded by the aw- 
ful information that Miss L. had com- 
mitted suicide ! For some days past 
a very striking change had been ob- 
served in her appearance, her ges- 
tures, and her conversation ; but her 
dreadful end was by no means ap- 
prehended. She was a young lady 
of good sense, polite education, and 
pleasing manners, and has been 
looked upon as a pattern of piety to 
her sex. Had her death been natu- 
ral, it would have been cause of deep 
affliction to her relatives, and her nu- 



90 GRACE KING. 

merous friends. But the awful man- 
ner in which she has left them must 
greatly augment their sorrow. No 
doubt can be entertained that she has 
fallen a victim to disappointed love! 
She had long honoured a young man 
(if he may be called a man) with a 
confidence of which he has proved 
himself unworthy. He had promised, 
and vowed, a matrimonial union with 
Miss L., which he has broken, by a 

marriage with a Miss D., of H . 

It was information of this infidelity 
which cast a cloud of gloom over 
her mind, and brought on a melan- 
choly which has thus lamentably 
ended. With truth we may adopt 
the language of one of our own 
rustic mountain poets, who says, 

' The faith of man, inconstant as the air,' 
Exclaim'd the lovely, but distracted fair : 
She spoke, then sunk into the shades of night, 
Imploring Heaven to set her wrongs to right' 



GRACE KING. 91 

Respecting the future destiny of Miss 
L. it becomes me to express no opi- 
nion. But, still, she has taken a 
doubtful method of leaving the world. 
It is, emphatically, 'a leap in the 
dark.' If the unhappy subject who 
committed suicide be insane, we may 
suppose he is not accountable for the 
deed ; but if he be in possession of his 
mental powers, there is no hope in 
his death. * No murderer hath eter- 
nal life abiding in him.' Suicide, I 
believe, may generally be traced to 
disappointment, pride, or revenge. 
I recollect only three instances of 
suicide mentioned in Scripture, and 
they are those of Saul, king of Israel, 
Ahithophel, David's counsellor, and 
Judas, who betrayed our blessed Lord. 
And who would wish to share the fate 
of these men? It certainly is most 
wise and safe to ' wait all the days 
of our appointed time, until our 



92 GRACE KING. 

change come.' My Rock, and my 
Protector, suffer me not to fall under 
the power of a temptatioij to take 
away my own life ; but help me to 
bear up under the ills and sufferings 
of this life with Christian confidence 
and fortitude. Amen. 

" I make it a matter of duty to rise 
earlier on the morning of the Lord's 
day than on any other. And I won- 
der how persons who believe the Bi- 
ble can spend the morning of this 
sacred day in taking an hour or two 
of extra sleep. And I am astonished 
still more at the conduct of those who 
do this, and at the same time profess 
to fear and love God ! To take extra 
sleep on the morning of this day ap- 
pears to me like an attempt to rob 
God ! Every true Christian, I think, 
ought to make the Lord's day the 
longest of the seven. 

" This is a beautiful morning ; the 



GRACE KING. 93 

sky is unclouded, the atmosphere is 
clear, the air is pure and cool, and the 
sun, the glorious emblem of my more 
glorious Saviour, is rising in majesty 
and strength! The sweet, sweet 
birds seem to be more joyful, and to 
sing clearer than usual on this de- 
lightful morning. For an hour or 
more the cheerful lark has been on 
the wing, carolling to the rising king 
of day ; and for nearly the same length 
of time the thrush, the blackbird, the 
linnet, and the finch, have been pour- 
ing forth their joyous strains. Be- 
sides, how refreshing and invigorating 
is this morning breeze. O, ye sleep- 
ers, what a loss do you sustain ! 

" Yes, and it is pleasing to look on 
the trees of the woods, waving in their 
fresh and rich foliage ; to listen to the 
monotony of the purling rills and 
tumbling brooks ; to see the smiling 
fields clothed in green, and beautified 



94 GRACE KING, 

with flowers ; and to watch the herds 
and flocks as they feed on the luxu- 
riant and dewy grass. But to me 
there is something still more pleasing 
than all these ; it is * the sabbath 
morning prayer meeting.' Before the 
hour of five, A. M., I see a congrega- 
tion of from thirty to fifty, waiting for 
the clock to strike the appointed 
hour ; all ready, with heart and 
tongue, to give ' thanks to Him who 
has brought them to the beginning of 
another holy day.' O, I love to be 
there ! I love to look on the compa- 
ny of devout worshippers, as they 
wait with almost breathless silence, 
and in mental prayer, for the hour of 
five ; and then I love to unite my voice 
with theirs in the opening song. 

" These meetings are, indeed, times 
of refreshing from the presence of the 
Lord ; and by this early blessing the 
worshippers become prepared for the 






GRACE KING, 95 

more public services of the sanctuary. 
While I have life and health, I hope 
never to be absent from \ the sabbath 
morning prayer meeting.' 

" The children of the sabbath school 
are much on my mind ; and I feel a 
strong desire to be made the instru- 
ment of good to them. I have been 
labouring for some time to awaken 
the minds of the class under my care ; 
but as yet I see but little fruit. I find 
that I have the greatest success when 
I speak to them individually and 
alone. I am resolved to labour more 
than ever for the benefit of these 
children, many of whom are almost as 
ignorant as the Hottentots. What a 
pity that parents should neglect to in- 
struct their little ones in the first prin- 
ciples of revealed religion. The good 
old practice of teaching children the 
Apostles' Creed and the Ten Com- 
mandments is now, in many families, 



96 

wholly laid aside. If it were not for 
sabbath schools, it is to be feared that 
a large majority of the children in this 
Christian country would grow up as 
ignorant of God, and the gospel, as 
if they were reared in pagan lands ! 
There is no reading of the Scriptures, 
no conversation on religion, and no 
prayer, in most families. But there 
is much to brutalize, and to render 
children superstitious and wicked ! 
O, how will parents answer to God 
for the neglect of their children ! If 
I had the voice of a trumpet, and the 
gifts of some I know, I would sound 
an alarm, and would try to excite an 
interest on this subject, through the 
length and breadth of our land. But, 
alas ! I am, myself, only a child ! My 
God, thou seest that I am willing to 
do what I can. O, teach thou me, 
that I may be able to teach the few 



GRACE KING. 97 

neglected ones committed to my 



care." 



It appears, from the above, that 
Grace King was, at this time, em- 
ployed as a sabbath school teacher. 
I find, among her papers, some at- 
tempts at versification ; and, though I 
am not fond of the practice of exhi- 
biting the effusions of childhood, yet 
I judge it proper to place before my 
readers a specimen or two. 



THE BELIEVING PENITENT. 

" To thee, the God of love, 
I lift my trembling heart ; 
And wait thy saving power to prove, 
And feel how good thou art. 

Thou seest my wretchedness — 
My sins are known to thee : 

And I am total helplessness — 
There is no strength in me. 

Thou art my only trust — 
My only helper thou ; 

7 



98 GRACE KING. 

pity, Lord, thy worthless dust, 
And save the sinner now ! 

My trust is in the blood 
Of Jesus Christ my Lord ; 

He is my only Saviour God— 
I hang upon his word. 

My soul is on thee stay'd ; 
Thou wilt my guilt forgive : 

1 see my sins on Jesus laid, 

And hear thee bid me live'!" 



LINES 

WRITTEN DURING A THUNDER STORM. 

" Behold, the sun his glory shrouds — 
The howling winds arise ; 
And God appears, in sable clouds, 
With tempest in the skies ! 

"While vivid lightnings play around 
The towering * cloud-capp'd hills,' 

And deep-toned thunder shakes the ground, 
Strange awe ray spirit fills ! 

Say, is it blind and erring chance 

Originates this scene ? 
No ! 'tis the God of providence ; 

And here his power is seen, 



GRACE KING. 99 

And He who rules the storm, can spare 

The suppliant at his feet ; 
Be still, my heart, nor dare despair ; 

Thy God does what is meet. 

The lambent fires which round me play 

Have not the power to harm ; 
I look to God, and, trusting, say, 

Sufficient is thine arm. 

That thunder is my Father's voice- 
He speaks from heaven again; 
And says, ' O man, make God thy choice!* 

My heart replies, Amen /" 



" I had, this day, the high satisfac- 
tion of hearing that pious, laborious, 
and successful preacher, Mr. William 
Bramwell. The seriousness, the earn- 
estness, and the unction with which 
he prays and preaches, are really pe- 
culiar to himself. He appears to take 
hold of the sinner with an iron grasp, 
determined not to release him, or let 
him go, until he exclaim, 



100 GRACE KING. 

k Nay, but I yield, I yield, 
I can hold out no more ; 
I sink, by love compelFd, 
And own thee conqueror.' 

He preached from Acts xxvi, 28 : 
1 Almost thou persuadest me to be a 
Christian.' After an introduction, by 
a reference to the context, he pro- 
ceeded to show, 1, l What is implied 
in being a Christian.' " Here," he 
observed, " is a point on which thou- 
sands are deceiving themselves. To 
be a real Christian, (and such only 
can be saved,) implies, 1, A clear ap- 
prehension and a hearty belief of the 
doctrines of Christianity, and of those 
in particular which respect the Sa- 
viour and his work. This belief will 
produce repentance and faith. 2, A 
personal saving interest in Christ ; 
pardon and adoption into the family 
of God, by Jesus Christ. 3, A par- 
ticipation of the pure mind which was 



GRACE KING. 101 

in Christ ; by this we resemble Jesus, 
and are fitted for his service, commu- 
nion with him, &c. 4, An imitation 
of the holy example of Christ. ' He 
that saith he abideth in him, ought 
himself to walk even as Christ 
walked.' 5, A sincere, universal, and 
constant conformity to the precepts 
of Christ. ' Ye are my friends, if ye 
do whatsoever I command you.' 

" ' II. What the arguments are which 
are calculated to persuade men to be- 
come Christians.' These he drew, 
1, From the divine origin and autho- 
rity of Scripture. ' All Scripture is 
given by inspiration of God.' 2, From 
the consideration of our relation to 
God, and of our consequent obliga- 
tions to him. He is our Creator, Pre- 
server, Redeemer, and Judge. 3, 
From the experience of Christians, 
what they say, and the manner in 
which they live. Paul related his 



102 GRACE KING. 

experience to Agrippa before he ex- 
claimed, - Almost thou persuadest me 
to be a Christian.' *4, From the ad- 
vantages flowing from our being 
Christians. All true Christians are 
happy, safe, heirs of God, honourable, 
and bound for heaven. 

" 'III. What is the state of the mind 
of those who, like Agrippa, are almost 
persuaded. 1 The king saw the pro- 
priety and necessity of his being a 
Christian ; but there was something 
which he did not feel willing to give 
up for Christ. There are thousands 
in the same condition. They cannot 
consent to confess Christ before men, 
to give up the world, its pleasures, 
&c. ; to renounce their own fancied 
righteousness ; to unite with the 
church, because there are so many 
hypocrites in it ; and to be religious 
now, because they hope to live and 
see a more convenient time. Such 



GRACE KING. 103 

is the skeleton of Mr. Bram well's ser- 
mon ; but then the flesh with which 
it was clothed, and the life by which, 
it stood erect, and went forth, to slay 
and heal, are all wanting. O my Sa- 
viour, I thank thee for having made 
me a Christian. I feel, indeed, that I 
am not all I might be, nor all I should 
be ; but I rejoice in the conviction that 
I am thine. O, impart to me more 
and more of thy pure and perfect 
mind ; and so write thy law upon the 
fleshly table of my heart, that I may 
show to the world my gracious and ho- 
nourable relation with thee ; a 'joint 
heir with Christ.' 

" ' What do ye more than others?' 
These words, which I met with in the 
course of my reading this morning, 
impressed me greatly, and excited me 
to a course of strict self-examination. 
I see that, as the servants of Christ, 
we have much work before us, which 



104 GRACE KING. 

we cannot neglect and be guiltless. 
We must exercise the utmost vigi- 
lance, and put forth the most vigorous 
efforts, if we would save our own 
souls. *\Ve must diligently inquire 
into the condition and circumstances 
of our brethren, and render them our 
best assistance, if we would discharge 
our duty to them. We must look 
with seriousness into the condition 
of the unconverted, and instruct, re- 
prove, exhort, and warn them, if we 
would be found clear of their blood ; 
we must labour for the good of the 
rising generation, especially in the 
way of sabbath-school instruction, if 
we would not be found chargeable 
with neglecting the lambs of the 
flock ; we must pray for the blessing 
of God upon instituted means and or- 
dinances, and must contribute of our 
substance for their support, if we 
would not fall into the condemnation 



GRACE KING. 105 

of the wicked; and, in a word, we 
must distinguish ourselves by purity 
of spirit, by holy conversation, and by 
rectitude of life; and we must be 
faithful unto death if we would hear 
the Judge say, ' Well done, good and 
faithful servants.' 

" Now, in view of all these Chris- 
tian duties, to say nothing of those 
which devolve on us as members and 
heads of families, nor of those which 
are incumbent on us as members of 
civil society, who can hear the Mas- 
ter ask, ' What do ye more than 
others V and not feel himself reproved ? 
Who has thus abounded in the work 
of the Lord? Who has thus excelled 
in labour, in sacrifices, in sufferings, 
and in contributions, for the cause 
of God and humanity ? 

" While meditating on the question, 
'What do ye more than others?' I 
thought, perhaps there are some pro- 



106 GRACE KING. 

fessing faith in the blood of the Sa- 
viour, and love to his name, who have 
done nothing in the way of contribu- 
tions for the cause of God and the 
poor ; who never offered even a prayer 
for them ; and who have done nothing 
in the way of personal exertion. And 
perhaps there are others who have 
done as little as possible, and main- 
tain their reputation and standing ; 
they have suffered themselves to be 
excelled by those who confessedly 
never felt the power of religion. Do 
such Christians expect to be found 
blameless at the coming of the Lord, 
our judge ? Do they expect to hear 
him say, i Ye have been faithful V 
If they do, how dreadful will be their 
disappointment ! He will certainly 
say, ' I was hungry, and ye gave me 
no meat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave 
me no drink ; I was a stranger, and 
ye took me not in; naked, and ye 



GRACE KING. 107 

clothed me not; sick, and in prison, 
and ye visited me not.' And then 
shall he say unto them, \ I never knew 
you ; depart from me, ye wicked and 
slothful servants V O my Saviour, 
have mercy upon me, and harness me 
for the battle, and strengthen me for 
the race. And, O grant that I may 
so live, that I may at last say, ' I have 
fought a good fight, I have finished 
my course, I have kept the faith.' 
Amen. 

"The goodness of God to man is an 
inexhaustible subject of meditation ; 
its matchless greatness, and nume- 
rous developments, are themes calcu- 
lated to excite our highest wonder, 
and to call forth our most exalted 
praise. What, but love, moved the 
Deity to give us existence, and to 
endow us with capacities for enjoy- 
ment ? What special goodness is ma- 
nifested to man in the superior facul- 



108 GRACE KING. 

ties which the Creator has given him, 
and which are clearly seen when we 
compare him with other creatures of 
God ? The physical powers and un- 
erring instinct of brutes are confess- 
edly wonderful ; but their glory is to- 
tally eclipsed when contrasted with 
the intellectual powers and moral fa- 
culties of man. In animals we see 
incontestable evidence of the wisdom 
and contrivance of Him who made 
them ; but man gives us evidence that 
he is possessed of an independent 
mind ; there are wisdom and con- 
structive faculties in himself. The 
animal, like the moon, shines with 
borrowed rays ; but man is as the sun, 
which goes forth in his own strength, 
and manifests his own inherent glory. 
Truly, man is ' fearfully and wonder- 
fully made !' How great the goodness 
which made him such ! 

" The goodness of God to man is 



GRACE KING. 109 

seen in the ample and varied provi- 
sion which is made for his enjoyment. 
The predilection for food with which 
God has endowed the brute creation 
is greatly circumscribed ; almost every 
order is restricted to its own distinct- 
ive quality and kind ; but man is so 
constituted that he is capable of taking 
an almost infinite variety. He takes 
his food from the earth, the air, and 
the waters. He feeds on the seeds, 
the herbs, and the roots of the earth ; 
he feasts on the flesh of the various 
animals ; he eats the winged fowls, 
and feathered songsters of the air ; 
and he is sustained by the flesh of the 
sportive tenants of the waters. So 
great, ample, and diversified are the 
means of gratification and support 
provided by the goodness of God for 
man. 

" Again, the forest and the quarry 
furnish man with materials for the 



110 GRACE KING. 

construction of habitations, in which 
he may protect himself from the inju- 
rious effects of climate, of tempest, 
of the cold of winter, and of the heat 
of summer. The animal and vegeta- 
ble worlds yield him materials for the 
fabrication of clothing to cover his 
nakedness, and to protect and adorn 
his person. And the creatures of 
God, by which man is surrounded, 
yield him, as a tribute, the benefits of 
their strength, their speed, their 
senses, and their instincts. In a 
word, every creature of God is made 
to minister to the wants, the indul- 
gence, and the happiness of man. O 
how infinite is the goodness of God to 
man ! ' O that men would praise the 
Lord for his goodness, and for his 
wonderful works to the children of 
men!' Bless the Lord, O my soul. 

" But the strongest evidence of the 
goodness of God to man is seen in the 



i 



GRACE KING. Ill 

gift of his Son to be a propitiation for 
the sins of the world. The first an- 
nouncement of this grace seems to 
have arrested the attention of angels, 
and to have filled all heaven with 
adoring wonder! The incarnation 
and ' sufferings of Christ, and the 
glory which follows/ are ' things into 
which angels desire to look.' Hence 
the deep interest which they took at 
the time of his advent, when they 
came to earth, and sung, ' Glory to 
God in the highest !' &c. Hence their 
ministrations to our Lord after his 
temptation in the wilderness, and 
during his agony in the garden ; and 
hence their appearance at the time of 
his resurrection, and on the day of his 
ascension. Redemption made a dis- 
closure of divine goodness to which 
angels had previously been strangers ! 
And we may say of it, — 



112 GRACE KING. 

* 5 Tis mercy all, let earth adore, 
And angel minds inquire no more !' 

" When our Lord would express his 
views of the greatness of the divine 
goodness manifested in the redemp- 
tion of man he seems to have laboured 
for words; hence he says, i God so 
loved the world/ &c. The word so 
is emphatic. God so loved the world, 
that the greatness of his love can be 
estimated only by considering the 
worthlessness of its object, and the 
greatness of the gift. The object of 
his love is the whole world of depraved, 
guilty, miserable, hell-deserving, and 
helpless sinners; and the gift with 
which he parted for their deliverance 
is his Son, his own Son, and his only 
begotten Son. No wonder that the 
manifestation of such goodness filled 
all heaven's inhabitants with asto- 
nishment and praise ! The only won- 
der is, that it does not more generally 



GRACE KING. 113 

break down the pride and enmity of 
the human heart. O, my cold heart, 
why art thou not more sensibly moved 
and affected by this manifestation of 
the goodness of God to man? And 
why art thou not immoveable/ fixed on 
Him who first loved thee? 

" We had a searching discourse this 
morning from the words, ' The back- 
slider in heart shall be filled with his 
own ways.' The preacher observed, 
in substance, - This declaration of the 
Spirit is calculated to awaken the at- 
tention of every professed Christian ; 
to excite him to prayerful inquiry, and 
to move him to self-examination. That 
it is possible to backslide is evident 
from the Scriptures ; and seeing this 
is possible, it is important that Chris- 
tians should be well acquainted with 
its symptoms, in order that they may 
be able to judge correctly of their own 
condition. What professed expectant 



114 GRACE KIJVG. 

of eternal life does not fear, in his own 
case, the fulfilment of the alarming 
declaration in the text ? If this lan- 
guage have not the effect to excite our 
solicitude, our case is already truly 
wretched, if not hopeless. May the 
Spirit of truth assist us while we in- 
quire in what this state of religious 
declension consists. 

" * That many who relinquish the 
profession of religion do no more than 
backslide from a mere profession may 
be safely admitted. They never had 
the root of the matter in them, and, 
therefore, it is no cause of astonish- 
ment that, in the time of temptation, 
they have fallen away. But even 
this kind of backsliding is lamentable. 
It is to be wished that even formal 
professors should not backslide, but 
that they should hold on their way, 
until they are made the subjects of 



GRACE KING. 115 

the power as well as of the form of 
godliness. 

" ' Observation teaches us, that 
many who backslide in heart do 
also backslide in life ; they not only 
lose the spirit and power of religion, 
but they " turn, like the dog, to his 
vomit again, and, like the sow that 
was washed, to her wallowing in the 
mire." They quit the society of the 
good, they mingle again with the un- 
believing, and they literally "turn from 
the holy commandment," Such back- 
sliders are objects of pity; they ought 
to be remembered in our prayers, and 
all good men ought to labour for their 
recovery. May the good Shepherd 
have mercy on these wanderers from 
his flock. 

" ' The backslider in heart is distin- 
guishable from the persons just men- 
tioned ; for he still retains a profession 
and a standing in the church. You 



116 GRACE KING. 

may see him in the sanctuary ; the 
church still receives his contributions, 
and perhaps he still continues to fill 
some office in the church of God. 
Indeed, he is still so moral that pro- 
bably his brethren do not suspect the 
state of his heart, and perhaps he is 
not himself aware of his apostacy 
from God. He knows, indeed, that 
he is not so zealous, nor so much en- 
gaged, as formerly, but he does not 
perceive that he has ".quenched the 
Spirit." Now, if this be a correct 
view of the case of " the backslider 
in heart," it will be proper to notice 
a^w of the symptoms by which this 
state of religious declension is indi- 
cated, in order that we may be able 
to know whether it be our condition. 
That man is a backslider in heart who 
once loved God, but (1,) Who is now 
negligent in attending the means of 
grace, or who attends them more from 



L 



* GRACE KING. 117 

custom, or conscience, than from love. 
Whenever our love to the means of 
grace declines, many of them will be 
neglected ; especially those which do 
not fall under the notice of our fellow- 
men ; such as reading the Bible and 
secret prayer. (2,) The backslider in 
heart feels deep and perplexing soli- 
citude about the world, and the things 
of time. While his heart was right, 
he was anxiously careful for nothing; 
but in every thing, by prayer and 
supplication, made his requests known 
to God. (3,) He is a backslider in 
heart who no longer finds delight in 
spiritual and religious conversation, 
or meditation ; for while he was alive 
to God, he said, " Come, all ye that 
fear God, and I will tell you what he 
hath done for my soul ;" and his 
" conversation was in heaven." (4,) He 
is a backslider in heart who labours 
under great coldness and wanderings 



118 GRACE KING. 

of heart in his private devotions ; and 
especially if he can neglect his devo- 
tions for trivial causes ; for when his 
heart was full of love to God he loved 
to commune with him. (5,) He is a 
backslider in heart who trifles with 
temptations ; or who is not afraid of 
throwing himself in the way of tempt- 
ations ; for while his conscience was 
tender, he " resisted the devil/' and 
prayed not to be "led into tempta- 
tion." (6,) He is a backslider in heart 
who feels indifferent about the cause 
of God and the salvation of souls ; 
for while he was pure in heart he 
loved Zion, and sought to save the 
lost. (7,) He is a backslider in heart 
who is a backbiter, a whisperer, and 
an evil speaker; for while he loved 
God and his brethren, he could not 
allow himself to practise these things. 
" 'In order to move us to self-exa- 
mination, or, if we know that we are 



A 



GRACE KING. 119 

backslidden, to move us to repentance, 
let us recollect the awful declaration 
of the text : " The backslider in heart 
shall be filled with his orvn ways? 1 
These are terrible words ! they imply 
that he shall feel the full and eternal 
effects of his unfaithfulness to God 
except he repent ! He shall lose the 
peace and favour of God ; he shall be 
of no use in the church ; he shall fall 
by little and little, until he "forget 
that he was purged from his old sins." 
He shall be forsaken of God ; he shall 
feel no longer the strivings of the Spi- 
rit, and he shall die, in his alienation 
from God, and, like Judas, "go to his 
orvn hell!" Thus shall "the back- 
slider in heart be filled with his own 
ways." ' 

"The power of God attended this 
sermon ; there was, indeed, a shaking 
among professed Christians. O my 
God, save me from the state and the 



120 GRACE KING. 

dreadful fate of the backslider ; and to 
this end 

* Take my poor heart, and let it be 
For ever closed to all but thee ; 
Seal thou my breast, and let me wear 
The pledge of love for ever there.' 



tc 



I have just finished reading a 
pamphlet 'On the Knowledge of 
God ;' in which the writer advocates 
the opinion, that ' God restrained his 
knowledge, did not foresee every 
future event, because he did not 
choose to foresee.' If the author be 
of the number of our modern ' phi- 
lanthropists,' I am surprised at his 
extreme ignorance of the Scripture 
doctrine of the divine nature; for he 
professes to support his notions by an 
appeal to the Bible ! 

" The author contends earnestly for 
the free moral agency of man ; but 
contends, that 'the actions of man 
cannot be free if they were fore- 



GRACE KING. 121 

seen of God; because they cannot be 
otherwise than as God, from he be- 
ginning, foresaw them,' &c. Now it 
appears to me, that our whole duty 
in this matter consists in receiving the 
plain and simple declarations of Scrip- 
ture ; and nothing can be clearer from 
Scripture than that God i knows the 
end from the beginning;' and that 
man is a free moral agent, and is as 
much accountable for his actions as 
if God did not foreknow them. 

" It does appear to me, that God, 
who is infinitely wise, must foreknow 
the future destiny of man, whether 
of happiness, or misery, as certainly 
as if he had decreed it from all eter- 
nity; though his foreknowledge has 
no more influence over the event than 
if he had not foreknown it. The des- 
tiny of man results from the use or 
abuse of his moral agency, and not 
from God's foreknowledge. God sees 



122 GRACE KING, 

the future as he sees the present and 
the past, because his knowledge is in- 
finite. God cannot see the future 
destiny of his free moral agents to be 
different from what it will be ; though, 
at the same time, he sees that it might 
have been different, had his free moral 
agents conducted themselves differ- 
ently. These seem to me to be Scrip- 
tural principles ; and the question, 
' how the free moral agency of man 
can be consistent with the certain 
foreknowledge of God,' is a subject 
that does not concern me. Shall the 
glory of God be frustrated by his fore- 
bearing to create man a free moral 
agent, and establishing a moral go- 
vernment over him, simply because 
finite creatures cannot see how to re- 
concile his perfect and certain know- 
ledge of future events with the facts 
of man's free moral agency and ac- 
countability ? On this ground we 



GRACE KING. 123 

might object to the Deity possessing 
any of the natural attributes which 
the Scriptures ascribe to him! For 
which of the divine attributes is it 
that man can comprehend ? Who 
can comprehend God's eternity, or his 
omnipresence? How can we com- 
prehend a Being that is unoriginated, 
or a presence w T hich has no limits ? 

" These questions, and all others 
which aim at what God is, or what 
he can know, or w r hat he can do, sa- 
vour of irreverence, if not of impiety. 
The plain and simple duty of man is, 
to receive with implicit faith all that 
God has revealed ; and he has told us 
that he \ knows the end from the be- 
ginning/ and that he ' will have all 
men to be saved, and come to the 
knowledge of the truth.' O thou 
who dwellest in light unapproachable, 
give me grace to know and do thy 
will. 



124 GRACE KING. 

" I had the misfortune this day to 
be in company in which I was under 
the necessity of hearing the illiberal 
criticisms, and the vague and unsus- 
tained notions, of a professed free- 
thinker. But I thank my God that 
this man's conversation had no unfa- 
vourable effect on my mind ; on the 
contrary, it served to confirm me in 
the love of revealed truth. His con- 
versation was sprightly, and his ima- 
gination fruitful ; but he evidently la- 
boured under great embarrassment in 
stating and defending his various and 
unscriptural hypotheses. Indeed, it 
was evident to all that he was lost in 
the delusive labyrinth of error. He 
said a great deal about the indestruc- 
tibility and eternity of matter ; and he 
boldly inferred the latter from the 
former ; which, he said, ' is incontes- 
table established by experiments.' 
For my part, I can very easily per- 



GRACE KING. 125 

ceive how the Power to which there 
is no limit can give existence to that 
which had no previous existence ; and 
how the same power can render eter- 
nal or indestructible that which it has 
created. Hence, the indestructibility 
of matter ', supposing it to be true, lays 
me under no necessity of rejecting the 
account which Moses has given of 
the creation of the universe. 

" This philosopher told us that 
three questions had long been the 
subjects of his meditations ; and he 
had at last become convinced that no 
earthly being is able to answer them. 
' These three questions/ said he, ' are, 
From whence did I originate ? Why 
am I here ? and, Whither am I bound V 
These are, indeed, great and momen- 
tous questions ; but he who believes 
the Bible, and who is acquainted with 
its doctrines, can be at no loss to an- 
swer them. To these questions every 



126 GRACE KING. 

enlightened Christian will reply, 'I 
am indebted for my origin to the will, 
the power, the wisdom, and the good- 
ness of Jehovah ; I am here for a short 
time to form a character for another 
state of existence ; and I am bound 
for an eternal state of the highest 
happiness, or the deepest wo ! I 
thank the Fountain of light and truth 
that he has not left me to grope in the 
dark on these all-absorbing questions. 
Truly the philosophy which converts 
such plain questions into profound 
and inexplicable mysteries, is, em- 
phatically, a ' false philosophy.' O, 
my God, I thank thee for the Holy 
Scriptures ; I find them to be the only 
sure guide to which I shall do well 
to take heed. 

" This morning I read, in course, 
the fourteenth chapter of St. John's 
gospel, and was greatly edified and 
blessed while reading it. In the thir- 



GRACE KING. 127 

teenth chapter our Lord had an- 
nounced to his apostles the painful 
fact that he was shortly ' to go away 
and leave them.' This intelligence 
filled their hearts with sorrow. The 
apostles had now been his compa- 
nions and confidential friends for 
about three years. They had been 
chosen by him from the company of 
his disciples, they had been endowed 
with special gifts, they had been sent 
on honourable and successful mis- 
sions, and they had now become 
greatly raised in their expectations of 
future distinction. Besides, three 
years' intimacy with the Lord Jesus 
had inspired them with strong affec- 
tion for him. 

" Under these circumstances and 
feelings, they now hear him say, 
1 Little children, yet a little while I am 
with you : but I go, and whither I go 
ye cannot now follow me.' Is it to 



128 GRACE KING. 

be wondered at that this announce- 
ment troubled them, and filled them 
with afflicting fears? To lose their 
greatest, their best, their only friend ; 
Him for whose sake they had for- 
saken all : for whose sake they had 
become the objects of universal scorn 
and persecution; him on whom they 
placed all their present and future 
hopes. This, indeed, was no ordinary 
loss. No wonder sorrow and fear 
filled their hearts. 

"But observe how quickly their 
divine Master proceeded to minister 
to them the needful consolation. For- 
getting himself, losing sight of the ig- 
nominy, the pain, and the cruel death 
which were then before him, he said 
to his sorrowing apostles, f Let not 
your heart be troubled, neither let it 
be afraid,' verse 27. How kind, 
how sustaining, and how consoling 
are these words. He adds, * Ye be- 



GRACE KING. 129 

lieve in God, believe also m me.' 
That is, ye know me ; you have had 
ample proof of the divinity of my mis- 
sion ; you know that there is ' no 
guile in my lips.' I never deceived 
you, therefore believe me now. 'I 
go, as I said to you, but I go to my 
Father, and your Father. In his house 
there are many mansions.' There is 
room for all. And 1 1 go to prepare a 
place for you V Having done this, 
1 I will come again, and I will receive 
you to myself; for where I am, there 
you shall be also.' This kind and 
gracious assurance was surely suffi- 
cient to allay the fears, and to heal 
the bleeding hearts of the trembling 
apostles. But, such is the tenderness 
and friendship of Jesus, he adds, ' If 
it were not so, I would have told you.' 
Yes, thou divine and faithful witness, 
we believe thee ; for, if there were no 
heaven for us, thou wouldst have told 



130 GRACE KINQ, 

us ! We will rely upon thy word ; 
for we are sure thou wilt do all thou 
hast promised. When thou hast pre- 
pared the place for us thou wilt come 
again, and w r ilt receive us to thyself I 

" O, my fearful and trembling soul, 
hear what thy Saviour saith. There 
are many mansions in his Father's 
house ; and if it were not so, he would 
have told thee! Thy Redeemer is 
now in the Father's house, Jitting up 
a mansion for thee ! He will soon 
come, and take thee up to himself; 
and thou shalt hold endless communion 
with him! Believe his word; thou 
shalt soon see him, and be like him ; 
for thou shalt 'see him as he is.' 
.. Glory, glory be to God! Amen. 

" I have been reading Dr. Lightfoot 
on the subject of water baptism. He 
brings a great deal of learning to bear 
on this point ; and he has, I think, 
proved conclusively that children, and 



GRACE KING. 131 

even infants, are proper subjects of 
the Christian ordinance. The doctor 
shows us, 1, That water baptism is an 
ordinance which is not peculiar to the 
Christian dispensation, but that it was 
in use among the Jews in admitting 
proselytes within the pale of their 
church. 2, That the Jews, so far 
from denying the ordinance to chil- 
dren, insisted on all the children, how^- 
ever young, being baptized, and ad- 
mitted with their parents. 3, That 
our blessed Lord took up the ordi- 
nance of baptism, without prescribing 
any alteration in it, except that it 
should be administered in the name 
of ' the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ;' 
while the Jews baptized in the name 
of the one God. 4, That if our Lord 
did not intend children and infants to 
be the subjects of Christian baptism, 
then he ought to have told us, and, 
undoubtedly, would have done so, 



132 GRACE KING. 

seeing- the practice of the Jews in 
this matter would certainly mislead 
us. Hence, seeing our Saviour did 
not prohibit the baptism of infants, 
which was the practice of his day, 
and seeing he said, 'Suffer little chil- 
dren to come unto me, and forbid 
them not,' it is evidently the privilege 
of little children to be admitted into 
the ark of Christ's church by the 
ordinance of baptism. 

" Though this reasoning may not 
be called demonstration, yet there is 
that in it w T hich makes it satisfactory 
and conclusive. I thank God for pa- 
rents whose piety led them to dedi- 
cate me to God by baptism, in the 
days of my infancy ; and I thank him 
for friends, who have led me to God's 
altar, to assume, in my own person, 
the vows which were made for me in 
my baptism. For, though I do not 
believe the doctrine of ' baptismal re- 



& 



GRACE KING. 133 

generation/ as it is believed and ex- 
plained by some in the present day, 
vet I do believe that I have derived 
many benefits, and obtained many 
blessings, in consequence of being 
made ' a member of Christ,' by bap- 
tism. < A good man leaveth an inhe- 
ritance to his children's children;' 
and 'the seed of the righteous are 
blessed.' Thanks be to thee, O my 
God, for all thy mercies. Amen. 

"The congregation this morning 
was very small, as the day was ex- 
tremely wet ; but those who were pre- 
sent found it no vain thing to breast 
the storm, and to wait before the 
Lord. The rain without poured in 
torrents; but the showers of grace and 
mercy within seemed to be quite as 
copious and free. The preacher was 
all life ; and he pressed the exhorta- 
tion, 'Be ye holy,' with power and 
effect. The word came from the 



134 GRACE KING. 

heart, and it reached the heart of the 
hearers. For one, I was made to see 
the beauty of holiness, was deeply 
impressed with a sense of its advan- 
tages, and was constrained to cry out, 
' Create in me a clean heart, O God, 
and renew a right spirit within me.' 
And I believe that the -congregation 
generally felt much as I did. This 
was a precious season. 

"In the afternoon the storm abated, 
and the congregation was much larger. 
We had a profitable sermon, by Mr. 
T. S. B., from James i, 26: ' If any 
man among you seem to be religious, 
and bridleth not his tongue, but de- 
ceiveth his own heart, that man's reli- 
gion is vain.' After a neat and brief 
introduction, the preacher proceeded 
to notice, I. The apostle's description 
of a false professor ; and, II. His 
judgment concerning his religion. Un- 
der the first head, The apostle's de- 



GRACE KING. 135 

scription of a false professor, he ob- 
served, he is one • who seems to be 
religious, who bridleth not his tongue, 
but who deceiveth his own heart/ 

"'1, He seems to be religious. 5 
* This implies, that he abstains from 
all open and gross immorality. For 
the notorious sinner, whose transgres- 
sions are known and read of all men, 
does not even seem to be religious ; 
no person suspects him of religion. 
To seem to be religious implies punc- 
tual attendance on all the means of 
grace. By means of grace is meant, 
reading the Scriptures, hearing the 
word preached, prayer in secret, and 
in the social circle, the Lord's supper, 
&c. It is the duty and practice of all 
religious people to attend these means ; 
therefore he who does not does not 
even seem to be religious ; he is, in 
fact, known not to be religious. To 
seem to be religious implies a public 



136 GRACE KIN€?. 

union with the church of God. Go(T$ 
people are required to "come out from 
the ungodly," and not to forsake u the 
assembling of themselves together;" 
which requirements cannot be kept, 
but by a cordial and public union in 
the capacity of a church. Therefore 
he who stands at a distance, and does 
not unite with the body of believers, 
does not even seem to be religious ; 
for, " By this shall all men know that 
ye are my disciples, if ye have love 
one for another," says our Saviour. 
To seem to be religious implies zeal- 
ous efforts to promote the prosperity of 
God's cause. The religious men, of 
all ages, have distinguished them- 
selves by doing all they could to save 
souls ; they have reproved sinners, in- 
structed the ignorant, comforted peni- 
tents, strengthened the weak, and 
given their prayers, money, influence, 
and example to the cause of God. 



GRACE KING. 137 

Therefore he who does not this does 
not even seem to be religious. 

" '2. This false professor "bridleth 
not his tongue." Speech is a gift by 
which the Creator has distinguished 
man above the brute creation, and it 
is one of the greatest blessings be- 
stowed upon man, if the tongue be 
kept under just government. But the 
tongue is an unruly member ; it is a 
world of iniquity; it sets the whole 
course of nature on fire, being itself 
set on fire of hell. Hence, the tongue 
must be governed with, 1. A bridle of 
prudence. How many tongues run at 
random, and do mischief, for want of 
prudence ! How many there are who, 
whether they speak of themselves or 
others, or whether they give reproof 
or instruction, lay no restraint upon 
their tongues ! It is of great import- 
ance to learn when to speak, and 
when to be silent ; how much to say, 



138 GRACE KING. 

and how much to leave unsaid ; when 
to reveal, and when to conceal our 
own affairs, and those of others. 
What evil is sometimes occasioned by 
one improper word ! The false pro- 
fessor has not the bridle qf prudence 
on his tongue. 2. The tongue must 
be governed with a bridle of piety. 
By piety is meant the exercise of pro- 
per tempers and spirit toward God ; 
such as fear, love, submission, confi- 
dence, &c. If these exist in the heart, 
and be exercised, they will effectually 
prevent all impiety of the tongue. 
We shall not make a light, or irreve- 
rent use of the name or w r ord of God ; 
we shall avoid all trifling conversa- 
tion, all murmurings under afflictions, 
and all language that indicates de- 
spondency. 3. The tongue must be go- 
verned with a bridle of charity. No 
man can ever be absolutely perfect ; 
hence we shall always detect impro- 



i 



GRACE KING. 139 

prieties in each other. But charity, 
or love, will cover them all ; and if it 
exist in the heart, it will restrain the 
tongue from all unholy w T hisperings, 
backbitings, railings, and evil speak- 
ing. 4. The tongue must be governed 
with a bridle of truth. The word 
truth is here used in a sense opposite 
to falsehood and lying. Our God is 
the God of truth, and " lying lips are 
an abomination to him." See evidences 
of God's displeasure against lying in 
the punishment of Gehazi, and of 
Ananias and his wife. If the truth 
have a place in the heart, it will exert 
an influence upon the tongue, and 
prevent lying and falsehood. 

"'3. The false professor "deceiveth 
his own heart." He prevails on him- 
self to believe that his morality, his 
connection with the church, his efforts 
to moralize men, and his attendance 
on means, is all the religion which 



140 GRACE KING. 

God requires of him ; and he looks 
upon the impious, uncharitable, im- 
prudent, and false use of his tongue, 
as unavoidable, infirmity ; and thus 
he, in the first place, deceives his own 
heart ; and, after this, his dark, hard, 
and unsanctified heart continues to 
deceive him in return. This is a dread- 
ful condition ! But if we only think 
how prone we are to hope the best 
concerning our religious state, how 
ready our friends are to flatter us, and 
how active the devil is to blind our 
eyes, we shall not wonder that men 
sometimes fall into delusion and error 
as to their religious state. Let us 
watch our hearts; for "he is a fool 
that trusteth his own heart." 

" ' II. We come now to the apostle's 
judgment of this false professor's re- 
ligion. He declares, "It is vain" The 
word signifies empty and worthless ! 
But why is it worthless and of no va- 



GRACE KING. 141 

lue? 1. Because it does not come up 
to the standard of God's word. It only 
seems to be what it ought to be ; the 
root of the matter is not within; and 
the tongue is not governed; the 
Scriptures demand these. 2. Because 
it does not make the professor happy. 
The truly religious man is happy ; he 
has peace with God, and peace with- 
in; he " rejoices evermore, and rejoices 
in tribulation." The religion which 
gives no peace is an empty, worthless, 
and vain religion. 3. Because it gives 
no right and title to heaven, Matt, vii, 
22. "Without holiness no man can 
see the Lord." This false professor 
may indulge a hope of heaven, but 
O, how dreadful the thought, he will 
discover his mistake by the light of 
hell fire ! 

"Such is the outline of this ex- 
citing and awakening discourse. — 
O my Lord, suffer me not to deceive 



142 GRACE KING. 

myself, but graciously lead me in the 
way everlasting. Amen. 

" While I was this day reading on 
the subject of the resurrection, the 
thought was suddenly suggested : the 
dead can never rise again: it is im- 
possible that the same body should 
be restored to life ; for many bodies 
are lost in the sea, and are eaten up 
of fishes ; many are devoured by 
beasts, and consumed by fire ; and all 
others fall into a state of putridity, and 
are resolved into their original ele- 
ments. This thought perplexed me 
much, and troubled me for hours. I 
found that I could not answer this 
objection to the doctrine of a future 
resurrection on any principle of na- 
tural knowledge which I possessed. 
I resolved, in my trouble, to carry the 
case to my best Friend, and to open 
my doubts and fears to my God. I 
did so, and he did not leave me long 



GRACE KING. 143 

in suspense. The evidence of the 
truth was opened to my mind, and I 
was enabled to go about my business 
rejoicing in God, from the assurance 
that this ' corruptible shall put on in- 
corruption, and this mortal put on im- 
mortality.' 

" God showed me that the manner 
in which this change is to be effected 
is beyond the reach of the human 
mind, and that the proof of the doc- 
trine is not to be drawn from reason 
and philosophy, but from the ' sure 
word of prophecy.' The future resur- 
rection of the dead is purely a doc- 
trine of revelation, and would never 
have been known, if God had not 
graciously revealed it. I took my 
Bible, and I soon found the following 
passages: Psalm xvi, 10; Job xix, 
25, &c. ; Ezekiel xxxvii, 1, &c. ; Isaiah 
xxvi, 19; Johnv, 28,29. From these 
passages it is certain that all the dead 



144 GRACE KING. 

shall rise again; for the ' mouth of 
the Lord hath spoken it.' 

a As to the means by which this 
general resurrection shall be effected, 
St. Paul tells us, that ' the Lord Jesus 
Christ shall change our vile body, 
that it may be fashioned like unto his 
glorious body, according to the work- 
ing whereby he is able to subdue all 
things unto himself.' This is satis- 
factory. I cannot, I dare not call in 
question the ability of Jesus to do 
this ; for ' all power is given to him, 
both in heaven and qn earth ;' and he 
is omnipotent ! When I think of the 
agency of my almighty Lord in the 
resurrection, I feel ashamed of my 
doubts, and I renounce for ever all 
my carnal reasonings. ' Though after 
my skin worms destroy this body, yet 
in my flesh shall I see God.' 

" Anger appears to be a passion of 
our common nature, and is roused 



GRACE KING. 145 

into exercise when we receive some 
real or imaginary insult or injury. 
On this subject St. Paul says, ' Be ye 
angry and sin not ; let not the sun go 
down upon your wrath/ Ephesians 
iv, 26. I was so unhappy to-day as 
to hear a brother in the church quote 
the former part of this text in defence 
of what I deemed his own petulant 
and revengeful spirit: and when he 
was urged with the latter part, f let 
not the sun go down upon your 
wrath,' he still persisted in defending 
his reigning anger, by saying, 'I am 
not bound to forgive the offender, un- 
less he ' return to me, and say, I re- 
pent.' Now it does appear to me, 
that what is commonly called anger 
is a passion, or temper, which divine 
grace either totally subdues or ena- 
bles believers to govern. It certainly 
cannot reign and govern in a sancti- 
fied mind ; for, if \ the sun go down 

10 



146 GRACE KING. 

upon our wrath/ it will assuredly pro- 
duce malice, and malice will prompt 
us to revenge ! A sacred writer tells 
us, that (■ anger resteth in the bosom 
of fools ;' and such a state of mind 
must be inconsistent wdth peace of 
conscience, and with the approbation 
of Him who says, "Vengeance is mine.' 
"Mr. John Hales, if I remember 
correctly, reads the words of St. Paul 
thus : i If ye be surprised into anger, 
take care you do not sin by letting the 
sun go down upon your unkind feel- 
ings.' If anger produce resentment, 
it must, it cannot be otherwise than 
sinful ; for it implies the absence of 
brotherly love and other Christian 
virtues. When it includes purposes 
of revenge it implies hatred, and will 
vent itself in revilings, backbitings, 
evil speaking, and other acts of injury. 
What enlightened Christian could go 
to his God in this state of mind, and 



GRACE KING. . 147 

say, ' Forgive us our trespasses, as we 
forgive those who trespass against us?' 
After all the inquiry I have made on 
this point, I have come to the conclu- 
sion, that what is generally termed 
anger is most undoubtedly sinful; 
and I do not believe that an apostle 
could be angry and not sin. But, if 
by anger we mean simple displeasure, 
or being grieved and wounded, why, 
in this sense there are numerous oc- 
casions on which good men may be, 
not only innocently, but also justly 
and religiously angry ; for we ought 
to be displeased with every thing that 
opposes the glory of God, and the 
welfare of man. Such anger is per- 
fectly consistent with the charity 
which thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth 
not in iniquity. 

"I do sincerely thank God that he 
has saved me so far that I am not the 
unhappy subject of that sensitive, 



148 GRACE KING. 

petulant, and suspicious temper, which 
makes a man an offender for a word, 
and which is constantly apprehensive 
of injuries and affronts. And I am 
determined, by the grace of God, to 
harbour no hard thoughts nor unkind 
feelings toward such persons as may 
seem to intend me wrong ; but I will 
open my heart to them in love, and in 
the fear of God, and tell them all that 
is on my mind. It is surprising how 
often a few words of explanation will 
serve to convince us that we have a 
friend, even where we thought we 
had an enemy. My God, give me a 
meek and forgiving spirit. Amen. 

"Mr. B. related to our family an 
anecdote which serves to illustrate 
the righteous providence of God. The 
following is the substance of the rela- 
tion : * When Methodism was first 

introduced into R ., a Mr. W. was 

the resident curate. His opposition 



GRACE KING. 149 

to the Methodists seemed to know no 
bounds, and he persecuted them in 
every possible way. Among the Me- 
thodist preachers who visited R 

was a Mr. S., who generally availed 
himself of the opportunity to address 
the people as they retired from the 
church in the afternoon. Parson W. 
seemed to cherish a special antipathy 
to this good old man, and manifested 
it by threats, and other kinds of oppo- 
sition. Mr. S. often retired from the 
scene of his labours covered with mud 
and rotten eggs. At last the curate 
hired a man, of the baser sort, of the 
name of W., to abuse, or even kill the 
preacher, if he dared to address the 
people again. Mr. $., true to his 
duty, appeared again, and W. carried 
his agreement into effect, so far as to 
throw a large stone at the preacher, 
which broke out some of his teeth. 
" 'In two or three years after this 



150 GRACE KING. 

event the wretched W. was taken 
sick, and died ; but his death-bed fur- 
nished a shocking scene. For seve- 
ral days he was constantly haunted 
with the recollection of his wicked 
treatment of the persecuted S. He 
frequently cried out, in the greatest 
horror, " See there, the Methodist 
preacher ! his teeth — his teeth are all 
broken ! see him spitting out his 
teeth ! I have killed him — yes, I 
have killed him! See, there he 
comes again ! take him away ! keep 
him off from me ! O me ! can no one 
— cannot you all keep him away?" 
In these and similar exclamations, in- 
terspersed with oaths and blasphe- 
mies, he continued to express himself 
until he died. Such was the dread- 
ful end of one who dared to lay hands 
on one of God's prophets, and to in- 
flict harm on one of his anointed ! 
" ' Parson W. lived only a few years, 



GRACE KING. 151 

and was made to " eat the fruit of his 
own doings." He was a man of wealth, 
and had a niece, named Miss B., to 
whom he had willed all his property. 
This lady, while on a visit at S., fell 
among some respectable people who 
were Methodists ; the result of which 
was, she got awakened and convert- 
ed. Her uncle, being informed of this, 
wrote to her immediately, and re- 
quired her to renounce all connection 
with the Methodists, under the penal- 
ty of his displeasure, and of being 
disinherited by the destruction of his 
will He gave Miss B. one week only 
to make up her mind, and inform 
him of her decision. Miss B. unhesi- 
tatingly chose Methodism and the will 
of God ; and she wrote to her uncle, 
and informed him of the same, in due 
time. But mark here the hand of 
God : before parson W. had time to 
receive his niece's letter, and alter, or 



152 GRACE KING. 

destroy his will, he was suddenly 
carried off by death. He was seized 
with an apoplexy, and died in a few 
hours. His large property fell to Miss 
B., who has made good use of it by 
her public and private charity, and by 
her liberality to the cause of Method- 
ism. 

"'But what shows the providence 
of God most clearly in this matter is 
the fact, that the persecuted and in- 
jured S., w r ho was a poor man, was 
sustained in his old age by the wealth 
of his persecutor. He actually wore 
the clothes, even to the wig, the hat, 
and the cane of parson W. They 
were given to him by Miss B. Thus 
" the wicked lay up treasures for the 
just." 

"'It is proper to remark, that it is 
believed Miss B., who is still living, 
and who befriended and supported 
the aged S. to the day of his death, 



GRACE KING. 153 

never knew that Mr. S. lost his teeth 
at the instigation of her uncle. Who 
can read this anecdote and not feel 
constrained to say, Truly " the Lord 
reigneth V " 

" This afternoon we were honoured 
with the presence of the Rev. Mr. F., 
who is at the head of an academy 
belonging to the Independents. He 
has the reputation of being a man of 
extensive learning, T)f purely evange- 
lical sentiments, and of deep and un- 
feigned piety. He is very free and 
communicative, and his conversation 
served to increase my stock of know- 
ledge, and to inspire me with a new 
determination to study more closely 
the sacred volume. He stated that 
his pupils generally profess a ' know- 
ledge of salvation by the remission of 
sins,' and are remarkably diligent in 
the prosecution of their studies. A 
goodly number of them are designed 



154 GRACE KING. 

for the ministry. What may the 
church not expect from the well-di- 
rected labours of such a number of 
enlightened and pious ministers. 

" Mr. F. preached for us this eve- 
ning, and, apparently, greatly to the 
edification of the congregation. He 
is a man of more than ordinary gifts, 
and has been honoured with many 
seals to his ministry, a number of whom 
are still living, and doing honour to 
their profession. It is to be hoped 
that Mr. F.'s valuable life will be 
greatly protracted, and that his la- 
bours in the desk, and in the acade- 
my, will continue to be successful. 

" There is no intelligence more re- 
freshing to me, or that ministers more 
to the health of my soul, than that 
which relates to the prosperity of 
Zion. My heart is for God. I feel 
that I am on the Lord's side. O thou 
divine and triumphant Saviour, ride 



GRACE KING. 155 

on gloriously in the chariot of the 
gospel, proceed from conquest to con- 
quest, claim the nations, the whole 
purchase of thy blood, as thy right, 
and fill the whole earth with thy 
glory. Amen. 

" To-day we had a delightful and 
refreshing time in love-feast. The ex- 
ercises were opened by singing that 
well-known hymn, 

* Come and let us sweetly join, 
Christ to praise in hymns divine.' 

Then followed a comprehensive, fer- 
vent, and heartfelt prayer, suited to 
the character, condition, and wants 
of believers and professing Christians. 
This was a searching, melting, and 
cheering prayer. While they were 
distributing the bread and water, and 
taking up the collection for the poor, 
the preacher spoke of the nature and 
design of love feasts in the apostolic 
days and in modern times ; and then, 



156 GRACE KING. 

after giving us the state of his own 
mind, he called on all to bear testi- 
mony for God. 

" There was no time lost, and the 
communications generally seemed to 
come warm from the heart, and to 
produce deep and gracious feelings. 
The active part w T hich the older mem- 
bers took tended greatly to make this 
love-feast more interesting than ordi- 
nary. The gray -headed disciples who, 
in the course of nature, cannot be far 
from their glorious rest, arose, and 
spoke in quick succession, and they 
spoke to the point. O, it was encou- 
raging to hear these old pilgrims say, 
' I am not weary of this journey yet; 
my young friends, the delights in- 
crease and improve as we get nearer 
to the holy city,' &c. 

" Among these old saints I noticed 
particularly Mr. L., called the father 
of the society, because he is the oldest 



GRACE KINO. 157 

member living, and the only one of 
the first class. He rose with his cha- 
racteristic solemnity of look, his tall 
and slender figure standing above all, 
and looked around him with evident 
emotion. After a moment's silence he 
said, ' My little children, have patience 
with me, and hear me once more ; 
time has shaken me by the hand ; 
my tremulous voice forbids any at- 
tempt to sing on earth ; my powers for 
making melody are gone ; my vision 
is very indistinct; my sands are all but 
run out, and this heart will soon cease 
its action. Perhaps this is the last 
time I shall meet with you on earth. 
Even so, Lord Jesus, if it be thy 
blessed will. I have been thinking 
of the great work which God has 
wrought since the day this society was 
formed. Our beginning was indeed 
very small ; a mere handful used to 
meet at old Mr. G's. But lo, we now 



158 GRACE KING. 

number by hundreds ; and we almost 
fill this spacious temple. May not I, 
whom God has spared to see all his 
wonders, may not I exclaim, " What 
hath God wrought ?" Glory, glory be 
to his name. I look around me, and 
what do I see ? Why I see my chil- 
dren's children, and I hear them bear 
witness for Jesus ! Bless the Lord, 
O my soul ! 

"' Brethren, I remember well the 
day when Mr. T. Taylor formed the 
first society in this place, and I shall 
never forget what he said when he 
had entered our names upon the class 
paper. He said, -"Well, there are 
just twelve of you; our dear Lord had 
just that number of apostles ; but, re- 
member, one of them proved to be a 
devil ! Take care, or else there will 
be found a devil among you !" From 
that day to this I have never forgot- 
ten what the preacher said ; and I 



GRACE KING. 159 

have a thousand times asked, "Lord, 
is it I?" Now, as the other eleven 
are all gone, (here he paused,) as they 
all went safely, (here he wept,) as I 
heard them all shout victory ! (again 
he was overpowered,) as they are all 
now in heaven, if one should prove a 
devil, T must be that one ! (His counte- 
nance now brightened.) But I know 
that I am not a devil ; for I love my 
God ! Yes, I know that I love God ; 
and I now know that Jesus is my Sa- 
viour !' This declaration was irresist- 
ible ; the whole assembly was moved 
and melted down. No, no, father 
Lamb is not a devil ; he is every thing 
which we can wish him ; he is ripe for 
glory. My glorious Saviour, I bless 
thee for the privileges of this day. 
" An unhappy controversy has been 
existing for some time between the re- 
ligious denominations of this neigh- 
bourhood, and it has been conducted 



160 GRACE KING. 

by a few, on both sides of the question, 
in a spirit and manner which must 
have an unfavourable effect on tender 
minds. I feel afflicted when I think 
on the subject, because I find that my 
religious friends, on both sides of the 
question, have their minds drawn off 
from the things which are of the high- 
est moment. They are talking, and 
doing so with too much spirit, when 
they ought to be reading their Bibles, 
and engaged in prayer. ' Follow 
peace with all men,' and, ' Be cour- 
teous] are precepts which have been 
constantly on my mind during the 
reign and triumph of the controversial 
spirit ; and I bless God that I have 
not lost my inward peace, nor have I 
cherished hard and unkind feelings 
toward my brethren. I think I under- 
stand the apostolic precepts which 
have been so much upon my mind, 
and I have tried to keep them. They 



GRACE KING. 161 

certainly do not imply that we are to 
embrace the doctrinal views of those 
we try to please, but that we are to 
avoid all unnecessary collision with 
them. They do not imply that we are 
to approve their form of church govern- 
ment, but leave them to their own 
judgment in this matter. They do 
not imply that we are to conform to 
their practice and manners, for we per- 
haps may deem them unlawful. The 
spirit of these precepts seems to re- 
quire us to labour and study to avoid, 
so far as we are able, giving offence 
to any man, either in word or deed, 
and particularly it requires us to avoid 
evil speaking, and even all disrespect- 
ful and ungentle treatment, by word 
or deed. 

" If we would ' follow peace with 

all men,' we must do them all the 

kind offices in our power ; we must 

promote peace and union among those 

11 



162 GRACE KING. 

that are at variance ; and we must 
always do to others what we would 
have them do to us under a change 
of circumstances. Such, it appears 
to me, is the import of the apostles' 
precepts, and such the extent of the 
Christian's duty. The life of our 
meek and benevolent Saviour fur- 
nishes the best comment on these 
precepts; he was 'holy and harm- 
less ;' and he 'went about doing good.' 
If these apostolic precepts were ex- 
emplified in the conduct of men uni- 
versally, what a peaceable, kind, and 
happy state of society we should have. 
There would be no ' wars, nor ru- 
mours of wars ;' there would be no 
defrauding of each other, and conse- 
quently no jealousies, no evil surmi- 
sings, no backbitings, no railings, &c, 
and there would not be so many scenes 
of distress and destitution unrelieved 
and unregarded. O God, spread the 



GRACE KING. 163 

saving religion of the cross among 
the discordant sons of men. Amen. 

" I read this day the fourth chapter 
of St. John's gospel, in which we 
have an account of our Lord's inter- 
view with the woman of Samaria at 
Jacob's well. It appears to me that 
she must have been a good woman, 
according to the light she had, or our 
Saviour would not have held so long 
a conversation with her on the subject 
of religion ; nor would she have made 
such an impression on the inhabitants 
of Sychar as she did, when she called 
on them to see Jesus, and said, 'Is 
not this the Christ V Besides, like 
Hannah, she seems to have been de- 
voutly waiting for the coming of Mes- 
sias, for she said to our Lord, 'I know 
that Messias cometh.' And when 
Jesus had said to her, ■ I that speak 
to thee am he,' she instantly went to 



164 GRACE KING. 

the city and called out the people to 
see the Christ. 

" But she was in comparative dark- 
ness ; hence our Lord said to her, ' If 
thou hadst known the gift of God, and 
who it is that saith unto thee, Give me 
to drink, thou wouldst have asked of 
him, and he would have given thee 
living water.' But this afflicted and 
inquiring woman is not the only hu- 
man being that knows not the gift of 
God. By this phrase, 'the gift of 
God,' I think we are to understand, 
our Lord Jesus Christ; for he is the 
1 Son given,' and he is the boon which 
God so freely bestowed, and, blessed 
be his name, he is God's c unspeaka- 
ble gift.' God gave his Son as the 
price of our redemption ; 6 Ye are re- 
deemed with the precious blood of 
Christ.' As a gracious and compas- 
sionate Saviour, 'he is touched with 
the feeling of our infirmities ;' as an 



i 



GRACE KING. 165 

almighty Saviour, ' he is able to save 
unto the uttermost;' as a present Sa- 
viour, ' by him all that believe are 
justified ;' as a universal and special 
Saviour, ■ the Saviour of all men, es- 
pecially of them that believe ;' and as 
the only Saviour, 'for other founda- 
tion can no man lay.' Such is God's 
unspeakable gift ! O that I may know 
this gift of God, in all his offices, and 
in all the fulness of his grace. 

" This blessed Saviour has power 
to give ' living water.'' This expres- 
sion, when taken literally, means 
fresh spring water, by way of opposi- 
tion to that which is found in pools and 
cisterns, which is stagnant and dead. 
The spiritual meaning is the Holy 
Spirit, in his sanctifying and saving 
influence. This may be seen by con- 
sulting John vii, verses 38, 39. As 
water has the property of cleansing 
our garments from defilement, so the 



166 GRACE KING. 

Spirit's influence cleanseth our souls 
from sin. As water has the power to 
render the earth fruitful, when it de- 
scends in the form of rain or snow, 
and when the lands are irrigated with 
it, so the indwelling Spirit enables be- 
lievers to 'bear much fruit;' and as 
water has the property of allaying 
thirst, and satisfying the thirsty, so 
the water drawn from ' the wells of 
salvation' satisfies the thirsty soul. 
There is great propriety in the use of 
this figure, and it is of frequent oc- j 
currence in the Scriptures. Blessed 
Saviour, give me this living water, 
and give it constantly, that I may 
thirst no more. 

"I believe that all who know the 
gift of God, who know Jesus, and 
have correct views of the grace which 
is by him, will ask of him the living 
water. ' If thou knewest the gift of 
God, and who he is that saith unto 



GRACE KING. 167 

thee,' &c., ' thou wouldest have asked 
of him.' It is evident, from these 
words, that ignorance lies at the foun- 
dation of the neglect with which man- 
kind treat the Saviour and his gra- 
cious offers of salvation. They know 
not Jesus, nor are they acquainted 
with the objects of his mission; hence 
they seek for nothing, they ask for 
nothing at his hands. Pleasures, ho- 
nours, riches, and sin stupify the 
minds of men, and render them inca- 
pable of forming a right estimate of 
Jesus. How important is it, then, that 
€ many should run to and fro, that 
knowledge may be increased.' O God, 
i give thy people pastors after thine 
own heart, who shall feed them with 
knowledge and with understanding.' 
May the preachers of the gospel be 
more than ever the \ light of the 
world,' and the efficient instruments 



168 GRACE KING. 

of turning the world from c darkness 
unto light.' 

"I have just returned from the fu- 
neral of Mr. P. O., but am unable to 
describe the painful sensations which 
I have felt while witnessing the deeply 
affecting scene. There lay before us 
the remains of a young man ; one who 
had fallen a victim to the demon in- 
temperance in the twenty-sixth year 
of his age ! There I saw, hanging 
over his coffin, the young, the beauti- 
ful, and the pious widow, oppressed 
with grief ! And there, in the arms 
of friends, I saw two beautiful uncon- 
scious fatherless children, one about 
two years, and the other three months 
old! My heart was full; my soul 
was agonized, and I wept : who could 
forbear ? 

" About three years ago Mr. P. O. 
married Miss F. They were both 
young, healthy, and industrious, and 



GRACE KING. 169 

believed to be so adapted to each 
other as to ensure a life of prosperity 
and happiness. They were both 
members of the church, and, in the 
judgment of their brethren, they were 
both religious. He was a first-rate 
mechanic, and commanded full em- 
ployment, and the highest wages. 
She, as a housekeeper, was neat, fru- 
gal, and diligent. They were happy, 
and the friends of both were highly 
satisfied with their union. In fact, by 
industry and economy they began to 
save money. 

" About two years and a half ago 
Mr. P. O. was persuaded to buy a 
lottery ticket, and 'try his luck.' 
Most unluckily for him, the ticket 
drew the large prize of jive thousand 
pounds ! He was evidently much 
elated by his success. Now his me- 
chanical labours were abandoned, and 
he became a wine merchant, by form- 



170 GRACE KING. 

ing a connection with a gentleman in 
that line of business. He received 
many kind admonitions from his bre- 
thren, warning him against pride and 
neglect of religious duties, and for 
some time he continued to attend the 
means of grace with his wife. But 
not many months had passed before 
he began to absent himself, under the 
pretence of business, indisposition of 
body, &c. It was remarked by his 
friends, that he was greatly changed 
in his appearance : his countenance 
became bloated, highly coloured, and 
stupid Six months more revealed 
the dreadful fact of his being a drunk- 
ard; a confirmed drunkard, — not at all 
ashamed to be seen staggering through 
the street. From that time to his 
death, he made rapid progress in 
the paths of transgression; until at 
last he fell a profane and loathsome 
prey to strong drink. He called for 



GRACE KING. 171 

brandy with his latest breath : he 
seized the vessel which contained it, 
attempted to raise it to his lips, but 
fell back upon his pillow, being una- 
ble to accomplish his purpose ! 

' O, his end, his dreadful end.' 

" His poor afflicted and heart-broken 
widow is sorely wasted; she is bro- 
ken down by watching, by labour, 
and by the abuse of her late brutal 
husband. But, thank God, she still 
retains her hold on the great Helper 
of the helpless. She mourns over the 
death of her husband, for she loved 
him most sincerely. But who can 
comfort her ? What hope is there in 
his death ? 

" If poor P. O. had not risen sud- 
denly to affluence, he would, in all 
probability, have lived a sober, 
healthy, industrious, and happy man. 
His first misstep seems to have been 
a desire to be rich, and to be suddenly 



172 GRACE KING. 

rich! This led to the second — the 
buying of the ill-fated lottery ticket : 
and the success attending the c wheel 
of fortune' furnished him with means 
to form unhappy associations, and to 
enter on a sinful business. 

"How true are the words of St. 
Paul, 'They that will be rich, fall 
into temptation and a snare, and into 
many foolish and hurtful lusts, which 
drown men in destruction and perdi- 
tion.' What awful words are these ! 
And how literally fulfilled in the case 
of poor P. O. The occasion was 
faithfully, yet delicately improved by 
Mr. T. J. He warned all, and the 
young especially, against lotteries, 
intemperance, evil associations, &c. 
My Lord and my God, instruct my 
heart, and guide all my steps ! Amen. 

" There was a large meeting held 
this day, to take into consideration 
the propriety of petitioning parlia- 



GRACE KING. 173 

ment against the passage of a bill, now 
before the house of lords, the ten- 
dency of which is to abridge the liber- 
ties of all dissenters from the esta- 
blished Church ; and which bears par- 
ticularly heavy upon the Methodist 
connection, destroying in effect their 
plan of itinerancy. It was truly gra- 
tifying to every liberal and generous 
heart to see the people so much alive 
to the cause of human rights, and 
liberty of conscience. The meeting 
was composed of persons of all deno- 
minations; one feeling and object 
seemed to animate the whole. Many 
members of the established Church 
were present, who did themselves 
great credit by the zeal with < which 
they opposed the meditated scheme 
of intolerance. They spoke out like 
men ; nor did they satisfy themselves 
with words : they recorded their oppo- 
sition to Lord Sidmouth's bill by sign- 



174 GRACE KING. 

ing the petition against it, and by 
subscribing themselves ' members and 
friends of the established Church.' 
Many of the addresses made at this 
meeting were truly heart-stirring and 
eloquent ; they swayed the assembly 
of three thousand souls as the heart 
of one man. It is believed that not 
an individual, who was eligible to 
sign, left the meeting without having 
recorded his name in favour of liberty 
of conscience. 

"What pleased me most at this 
meeting was the fervour with which 
prayer was offered and responded to, 
at the opening and close of the busi- 
ness. The whole assembly appeared 
to be engaged in invoking the inter- 
position and blessing of God. Such 
united and heartfelt prayer must be 
heard in heaven ; and if God hear, 
our liberties and privileges are not in 
danger. % 



GRACE KING. 175 

The inhabitants of this land have, 
indeed, for many years, been highly 
favoured, and perhaps an offended 
God sees it proper that we should be 
menaced with the loss of liberty and 
grace, so much abused, in order that 
we may be more thankful, and may 
more diligently improve them in fu- 
ture. It would be just if he should 
punish and afflict us. But surely he 
will hear the confession and prayer 
which are made before him — will look 
with compassion on his humble and 
trembling people — and will still spare 
to us the liberty and immunities, the 
loss of which we so much fear. 

" O Lord, be gracious to thy peo- 
ple, who now confess their sin and 
ingratitude ; look with favour upon 
them, now that they humble them- 
selves and turn to thee ; and let them 
continue, every one, to • sit under his 
own vine and fig-tree,' rejoicing in thy 



176 GRACE KING. 

protection. To this end preside thou 
in the councils of the nation ; give to 
our senators wisdom, and overrule all 
their doings for the glory of thy name, 
arid for the good of thy church. Amen. 
" In my late visits to the children 
of my sabbath school class, I have 
often seen and heard what has afflict- 
ed me much — that many children 
appear to cherish little or no respect 
for their parents, and openly show it 
by acts of insubordination and diso- 
bedience ! Surely there must be some 
fault in the parents ; there must be 
some radical fault in their method of 
training, or their children would be 
more respectful and obedient. This 
mismanagement of children at home 
through the week must be one grand 
cause of the failure which, in so many 
instances, attends the system of sab- 
bath school instruction. The labours 
of the sabbath are more than counter- 



GRACE KINO. 277 

balanced by the neglect, mismanage- 
ment, and example of the week. O 
that parents were wise, and would 
strive to ' train up their children in 
the way in which they should go.' 

"But still, the bad example and 
wrong treatment of parents do not ex- 
onerate the children from blame, be- 
cause they are better instructed, and 
have opportunities of learning their 
duty, which the unhappy parents 
perhaps never had. In this day, chil- 
dren have - line upon line, and precept 
upon precept;' and are, therefore, 
under obligation both to know and 
practise their duty. 

" I shall henceforth feel it to be my 
duty to urge upon the children of my 
class more strongly than ever the ob- 
servance of the 'first commandment 
with promise.' I believe that the rela- 
tion which children bear to parents, as 

well as duty to God, renders obedience 
12 



178 GRACE KING. 

to parents an imperative duty ; nor do 
I believe that a child can neglect this 
duty, so long- as his parents live, and 
be guiltless. The parent must be 
obeyed in all things which are not 
obviously wrong or sinful. Though 
I have no natural parents, yet I feel 
that I owe love and obedience to the 
dear friends who have protected, sus- 
tained, and educated the poor orphan ; 
and I would not dare to do any thing 
without their consent. Lord, ever 
give me judgment to know, and grace 
to discharge with faithfulness all my 
relative duties ! 

" I see the proud children of fashion 
shining in the gay trappings of dress, 
but I envy not their enjoyment. I 
see the children of this world strivingr 
with some success, to heap up gold 
as dust, and to 'add house to house, 
and field to field ;' yet I covet not their 
wealth. I am fully convinced that 



GRACE KING. 179 

the honours, the pleasures, and the 
riches of this world — yes, that every 
thing beneath the sun, is ' vanity and 
vexation of spirit.' I feel dead to this 
world ; I am ' crucified to the world,' 
and, through the knowledge of my 
Lord, ' the world is crucified to me.' 
Through the faith of the gospel I see 
6 an inheritance which is incorruptible 
and unde filed, and which fadeth not 
away ;' and this is the possession after 
which I seek, and which it is my bu- 
siness to pursue. I am conscious that 
life is uncertain, that a few^ days or 
hours may dissolve my connection 
with this world, and that after death 
present enjoyments will have no in- 
terest for me. I thank God, who has 
1 begotten me to a lively hope,' and 
has fixed my affections on the impe- 
rishable things of the eternal world. 
By faith I am already released from 
the influence of present sensible 



180 GRACE KING. 

objects, and am permitted to * sit in 
heavenly places' in Christ. By faith 
I frequently visit the innumerable 
company before the throne of God, 
and hold communion with angels and 
the spirits of the just, for my ' conver- 
sation is in heaven.' I often look up, 
and say, 

4 There is my house and portion fair ; 
My treasure and my heart are there, 

And my abiding home : 
For me the elder brethren stay, 
And angels beckon me away, 

And Jesus bids me come.' 

O my Father and God, I thank thee 
for such seasons of refreshing ; this 
is angels' food, and the earnest of my 
future inheritance. 

" I met this day a number of youth 
of my own age, who all appear to 
have set ' their faces Zionward ;' most 
of them believe they have found the 
Saviour, and the others seem resolved 



GRACE KING. 181 

to seek him ' with all the heart.' I 
spoke to them individually, and gave 
them the best advice I was able. I 
urged upon them the necessity of 
being obedient to their parents, of 
reading the New Testament often, 
of being diligent in business, and 
of praying much to God, and depend- 
ing wholly on his grace. We united in 
prayer, and my soul was completely 
melted to love and sympathy ; I felt 
that I could spend and be spent for 
the good of these children. O thou 
great Shepherd of the sheep, look in 
compassion upon these lambs of thy 
flock ; protect, guide, and feed them ; 
and when weary, ■ gather them with 
thine arm, and carry them in thy bo- 
som. ' We concluded by singing the 
following hymn : 

* Honour, and thanks, and love, and praise, 
O Lord, to thee be given, 
By all thy blood-bought chosen race ; 
By all, in earth and heaven. 



182 GRACE KIXG. 

Thy ceaseless grace extends to all 

The creatures of thy hand ; 
But most to those who on thee call 

And bow to thy command. 

We are the objects of thy care, 

And neyer-ending love ; 
Thou art our sun, and polar star, 

To guide us safe above. 

Thou art to us benignly near, — 

Our refuge and support ; 
And when assailed, by foe or fear, 

We can to thee resort. 

Therefore, to thee, our sovereign God, 

We give devoutest praise ; 
Redeemed and saved by Jesus' blood, 

We'll serve thee all our days.' 

H I fear that I still labour, and in 
in no small degree, under the influ- 
ence of a temper which strongly pro- 
claims the remains of depravity in my 
heart, and the imperfection of my 
Christian character. I mean prejudice 
against those Christians who differ 
with me on doctrinal points. This is 



GRACE KING. 183 

is a fault against which Mr. G. has 
repeatedly warned me, and against 
which I have always determined to 
guard. Though by many it may be 
thought innocent, nothing appears 
more despicable to me than bigotry. 
This afternoon furnished an oppor- 
tunity of testing the extent of my Ca- 
tholicism. A female friend invited 

me to go and hear the Rev. . I 

complied, but did not find that satis- 
faction which I believe I should, if I 
had heard a man of much inferior 
talent of my own persuasion. The 
voice, the manner, and the language 
of the preacher, were really superior ; 
and his subject was one about which 
all Christians agree ; and yet, in spite 
of my better judgment, I kept think- 
ing, ' You do not know and preach the 
whole truth.' Now I am convinced 
that the Rev. is a man of unaf- 
fected piety, and an able and success- 



184 GRACE KING. 

ful preacher ; still, I cannot hear the 
truth from him with the satisfaction I 
can from one who believes as I do. 
Is not this the offspring of bigotry ? 
I really wish to possess ' the charity 
which hopeth all things, which en- 
dureth all things, and which never 
faileth ;' and the benevolence which 
embraces the whole family of man. 

thou most indulgent Lard God, who 
art thyself the fountain of all excel- 
lence and grace, satisfy the benevolent 
desire with which thou hast inspired 
me, and graciously fill me with the 
loving mind that was in Jesus ! Amen. 

" My poor mind has been greatly 
afflicted to-day, by the conduct of 
father G.'s servant girl. She made a 
statement to me this morning, which 

1 soon discovered to be false. On 
being called up to account for it, she 
very boldly gave me the lie, protest- 
ing repeatedly that she never made 



GRACE KING. 185 

such a statement. Although my dear 
friends hesitated not to believe my re- 
presentation of the facts in the case, 
yet the open and persevering denial 
of Mary gave me a sensation to which 
I had previously been a stranger. 
Bad as I knew human nature to be, I 
was not prepared to meet any thing 
like this in a young female. 

" Father G. said to Mary, ' He that 
telleth lies shall not tarry in my 
sight ;' and she was promptly dis- 
charged. She had been but a short 
time in our family. 

" Lying, I thank God, is a vice to 
which I do not remember that I was 
ever inclined. One of the first direc- 
tions given me was, ' Never tell a lie? 
Lying is a sin which, when detected, 
never fails to bring shame and discre- 
dit. It is a sin against which the dis- 
pleasure of Heaven has been most 
signally displayed, as we see in the 



186 GRACE KING. 

leprosy of Gehazi, and in the death 
of Ananias and Sapphira. See 
2 Kings - v, 20, and Acts v, 1 — 11. 
We are instructed by the Scriptures, 
that ' lying lips are an abomination 
to the Lord ;' and that all ' liars have 
their part in the lake which burnetii 
with fire and brimstone. 5 O my Sa- 
viour, plant truth in my inward parts, 
and let me always speak in^the strict 
integrity of my heart. 

" The latter part of this day I spent 
at the house of Mr. S. A. V., where 
we were favoured with the company 
and conversation of the Rev. Mr. B., 
an old veteran in the army of our com- 
mon Lord. He was converted to God 
when very young, and he studiedme- 
dicine with the view of entering upon 
the practice. But God had other work 
for him ; and he has now been an ac- 
ceptable and successful preacher of 
the gospel for nearly fifty years. His 



GRACE KING. 187 

venerable head is silvered over with 
the frosts of nearly eighty winters; 
but Jesus is still precious to his soul ; 
he loves still to speak of the Saviour, 
and his conversation is eminently 
adapted to minister grace to those that 
hear him. He entertained us with 
several narratives of conversions, to 
which he had been a witness, and 
which were the fruit of his ministerial 
labours. During the relation he would 
frequently exclaim, 'Not unto me, 
not unto me, but unto thy name be 
all the praise, O my God.' He told 
us truly, that he feels all the infirmi- 
ties consequent on age. ' But,' said 
he, ' I feel as strong desires to labour 
for the glory of God and the good of 
souls as I did in my youth, and I am 
determined to bear my testimony for 
my Saviour and his truth as long as 
memory and strength shall serve me.' 
Head of the church, continue to fur- 



188 GRACE KING. 

nish thy people with a succession of 
such competent, resolute, and untiring 
pastors ! 

"When I entered the church this 
morning I felt somewhat disappointed 
to find the pulpit occupied by the Rev. 
D. L., for I had not been apprized of 
his engagement. However, though I 
did not hear the person I expected, 
still I obtained a blessing. Mr. L. 
generally has something to say which 
is interesting to the true believer. His 
sermon in the morning was on the 
Christian's treasure. In his illustra- 
tion he remarked, • God is the be- 
liever's Father; Christ is his in all 
his fulness and relations ; the Holy 
Spirit is his in all his saving influ- 
ence ; the ministry is his, given for 
his assistance and comfort ; the pro- 
mises are his in all their variety and 
fulness; trials and sufferings work for 
his present and endless good ; the or- 



GRACE KING. 189 

dinances of God's house are his ; an- 
gels are his ministering servants ; and 
he is heir of a kingdom and a crown 
of life.' Such is the treasure of the 
true Christian. O Lord, create me 
anew after thy image, and enable me 
to walk worthy cf this high calling ! 

" His sermon in the afternoon was 
on 'the means of promoting a growth 
in holiness.' On this subject he di- 
rected us to ' a diligent and faithful 
attendance on the means of grace; a 
methodical and attentive reading of 
the Scriptures ; sincere, earnest, and 
persevering prayer in our closets 
and social interviews ; watchfulness 
against every temper, &c, which 
might grieve the Spirit, and bring 
darkness upon the mind; maintenance 
of a realizing sense of the awful con- 
cerns of eternity, of the sufferings of 
Christ for our sins, and of our infinite 
obligations to God ; and, lastly, to be 



190 GRACE KING. 

much engaged with each other in con- 
versing on experimental and practical 
religion.' These are golden direc- 
tions, which I wish to hide in my 
heart, and to exemplify in my prac- 
tice. O Thou, from whom all good 
proceedeth, carry on thy good work 
in my soul, till thou hast made me 
fully meet for thy glorious presence 
in heaven ! 

"In the evening the preacher took 
for his text, i It is appointed unto men 
once to die.' He was not very me- 
thodical in the arrangement of his 
subject; but, from the notes which I 
tried to make, I gather the following 
thoughts : - Death, which is the con- 
sequence of sin, is the dissolution of 
the union of the soul and body ; the 
separation of these old companions. 
It is the certain lot of all men; for "it 
is appointed unto man to die." By 
death we are finally separated from 



GRACE KING. 191 

all the enjoyments, possessions, and 
delights of this world, as well as from 
all the pains and annoyances of it. It 
separates us from our nearest and 
dearest friends; it puts an end to all 
opportunities of knowing God and 
finding his mercy ; it puts a period to 
the Christian's opportunities of glori- 
fying God, and of doing good to men ; 
it brings to an eternal close all the 
pains, troubles, temptations, cares, and 
sorrows of the saints. As death is 
common to men, it is perhaps near at 
hand, and may come upon us when 
not expected ! Death will open a 
terrible scene to the wicked, but a 
joyous and delightful one to the 
righteous. It fixes the everlasting 
destiny of all men !' After carefully 
considering these thoughts, I can, 
through grace, say, death is not c the 
king of terrors' to me ; I cannot look 
upon him as my enemy ! I thank my 



192 GRACE KINO. 

Lord the ' sting of death 5 is extracted. 
Being persuaded of my interest in 
Christ, of the existence of a work of 
grace in my heart, and of the never- 
failing protection of my Father above, 
I look upon death as a messenger of 
peace, sent to release me from sin 
and suffering. Glory be to God ! 

" This day I fell into the company 
of a lady who is a professed Socinian ; 
and she talked a great deal on a sub- 
ject of which she appeared to me to 
have no clear conceptions. The sub- 
ject of her conversation was 'the 
person of Christ;' and she said, 'He 
is God by office and investiture.' I 
simply observed, 'Madam, you appear 
to me to make the blessed Saviour 
inferior to the Father/ She instantly 
replied, with some degree of warmth, 
'I do so, and I have the high autho- 
rity of the words of Christ for so 
doing; he says, "My Father is greater 



GRACE KING. 193 

than 1 : 9 ' what will you do with that 
saying V Conceiving it to be of little 
use to contend with an opponent so 
warm, I contented myself with re- 
marking, 'That person must have 
read the Holy Bible to little purpose 
who had failed to notice that our 
Lord is there styled " The great God" 
" The mighty God" and " The only 
wise God." ' The proper, eternal, and 
underived Godhead of Jesus Christ is 
a doctrine in which I am a firm be- 
liever ! It is a fundamental truth, 
the knowledge and belief of which is 
essential to Christian salvation, and 
it is a doctrine which is as clearly 
and fully revealed as any other doc- 
trine of divine revelation. Who can 
read the Bible without seeing that 
the names, the attributes, the works, 
and the worship of Deity, are claimed 
by the Saviour, and ascribed to him 
by the sacred writers? f I did 

13 



194 GRACE KING. 

not believe Jesus Christ to be more 
than man, and more than God by 
office and delegation, I should not dare 
to trust my eternal interests in his 
hands ; for it is written, ' Cursed is 
man that trusteth in man, and that 
maketh flesh his arm.' Blessed Jesus, 
I conceive of thee as ' God over all, 
blessed for ever ;' and I worship thee, 
saying, ' My Lord and my God.' 

" I have just returned from a pre- 
cious visit to Mrs. S. W. This old 
lady is, indeed, f a mother in Israel.' 
Her acquirements qualify her to give 
instruction and counsel, and her years 
and experience give authority to all 
she says. While young she received 
a superior education, and has been 
improving all her days. Ever 
since the bankruptcy of her father 
and husband, once opulent merchants, 
threw her upon her own resources, 
she has been called to pass through 






GRACE KING. 195 

deep waters. She has been a credit- 
able member of the church for forty 
years. Possessing naturally a weak 
constitution, and exposed to many 
hardships, she has learned much in 
the school of affliction. She has suf- 
fered much during twelve years from 
chronic rheumatism; but, by the bless- 
ing of Providence in the use of means, 
she is now almost entirely relieved. 
" The few hours I have spent with 
this precious saint will, I trust, be 
long remembered, and duly improved 
by me. The account which she gave 
me of her conversion, of her subse- 
quent temptations, trials, and deliver- 
ances, and of her present views, feel- 
ings, and purposes, served to confirm 
my faith, and to call forth devout re- 
solutions. Mrs. W. gave me pertinent 
advice in reference to my reading, stu- 
dies, and general conduct, which I 
wish to treasure up in my mind, and 



196 GRACE KING. 

to reduce to practice. She is, evi- 
dently, a woman deeply versed in the 
knowledge of human nature, and in 
the things which pertain to the king- 
dom of God Taking her for all in 
all I never may ' look upon her like 
again.' Should I be spared to see 
the years of Mrs. W., I wish I may 
have the happiness to look back on 
the display of as much prudence, 
piety, and practical holiness, as has 
been seen in her. Well, have I not 
the same Saviour exhibited to my 
sight, the same throne of grace to 
apply to, and the same all-sufficient 
grace to support and strengthen me ? 
If I am not wanting to myself, there 
is no reason why I may not be as holy 
and useful as she is. The King's 
highway of holiness is before me ; I 
see it clearly, and, I thank God, I feel 
disposed to walk therein. O Thou, 
who art my strength and salvation, do 



GRACE KING. 197 

thou ' uphold me by the right hand of 
thy righteousness.' 

" I feel my mind very solemnly af- 
fected by what I have this day been 
called to witness. Our church has 
been under the necessity of expelling 
from her communion two members, 
who have held a long and creditable 
standing. When the minister rose to 
read the notice of their expulsion, he 
made a number of judicious and feel- 
ing remarks, which I hope will be ren- 
dered a lasting blessing to me, and to 
all who heard them. Among other 
things he observed, ' The nature and 
notoriety of the offence for w r hich the 
two members are expelled render the 
disagreeable task of public notice of 
their expulsion necessary ; for they 
that sin before all must be reproved 
and punished before all, that all may 
fear to sin.' And he expressed a hope 
'that this public announcement of 



198 GRACE KING. 

their expulsion would tend to the 
honour of the Christian cause, and to 
the ultimate benefit of the parties ex- 
cluded.' I think it is an awful thing 
to be expelled from the communion of 
the church; for when this is done ac- 
cording to the order of God, it is rati- 
fied in heaven ; ' What ye bind on 
earth/ says our Lord, ' shall be bound 
in heaven.' I have been graciously 
preserved from those outward and 
scandalous sins which would expose 
me to the censure of the church ; yet 
I know not but my lukewarmness and 
short-comings have rendered me as 
deserving of expulsion as some others. 
O my God, have mercy on me, and 
sanctify this exercise of discipline to 
the good of the church, to the offend- 
ers, and to me ! 

" I still find that private intercourse 
with God is my chief source of com- 
fort and stability ; I am indeed edified 



GRACE KING. 199 

and cheered in public means, and in 
religious conversation with the saints ; 
but my greatest and most lasting bless- 
ings are found in my closet When- 
ever I seclude myself from sensible 
things, meditate on the doctrines of 
Christ, and make known my wants to 
God, I am made to forget the toils 
and ills of life, and empowered to run 
the path of duty with alacrity and joy. 
In this secret intercourse with Heaven 
I am sometimes as it were transport- 
ed to the celestial world. There I 
survey with rapture the munificent 
provision, and the glorious society. 
In my seclusion I sit and feast on an- 
gels' food ; this is the food 'the world 
knoweth not of.' ' Truly our fellow- 
ship is with the Father, and w T ith his 
son Jesus Christ.' Bless the Lord, 
O my soul, for these foretastes of 
eternal life ; and may I ever be ready 



200 GRACE KING. 

to testify to all the sweetness of com- 
munion with God. 

"This is the day on which the 
church celebrates the most important 
event that ever took place on this 
earth, viz., ' The birth of the Saviour' 
This event, indeed, ought to be re- 
membered and thankfully acknow- 
ledged every day; but as the church 
has consented to fix on this day for 
the Christmas festival, I will unite 
with the redeemed, and record my 
gratitude to Him who 'so loved the 
world that he gave his only begotten 
Son/ and will say, with a glad heart, 
* Thanks be unto God for his unspeak- 
able gift? 

. " We had a meeting for prayer this 
morning at five o'clock. It was well 
attended ; and He who once came to be 
cradled in a manger, came now to the 
temple of every heart. My dear fa- 
ther G. was filled to overflowing ; and 



GRACE KING. 201 

all the way home he contiimed to ex- 
claim, ' Glory to God in the highest ! 
and peace upon earth!' At eleven 
o'clock Mr. B. gave us an edifying 
discourse on ' This is a faithful say- 
ing, and worthy of all acceptation, 
that Christ Jesus came into the world 
to save sinners.' He noticed, first, 
the saying, ' that Christ Jesus came 
into the world? and that he came ' to 
save sinners. 1 Secondly, he undertook 
to demonstrate the faithfulness, or 
truth of this saying : and, thirdly, he 
expatiated on the apostle's inference, 
1 It is worthy of all acceptation.' This, 
for a young man, was a well-timed, 
and an excellent sermon. 

" While hundreds around me spent 
the afternoon and evening of this day 
in a way that desecrates the Christian 
festival, I retired to my room, and 
held fellowship with God. O, could 
I persuade the giddy tribes of men to 



202 GRACE KING. 

forego their pleasures, and join me in 
my pursuits, how great for the better 
would be the change in their lives and 
feelings ! If the sons of unbelief 
could conceive one half what I feel 
and enjoy, it appears to me that they 
would give no sleep to their eyes, nor 
slumber to their eyelids, until they were 
partakers of a bliss so great! Human 
language is too poor to convey a just 
view of my enjoyment, or I would at- 
tempt the description. It is a height 
I cannot reach, a depth I cannot fa- 
thom, and a breadth I cannot com- 
pass! I must content myself with 
saying, it is a ' peace which passeth 
understanding/ and a 'joy which is 
unspeakable !' But I would say to 
all, c O taste and see that the Lord is 
good, for his mercy endureth for ever !' 
" Lo, I am spared to begin a new 
year. Last evening I felt my heart 
deeply engaged with God. I took a 



GRACE KING. 203 

survey of his mercy and grace mani- 
fested through the last year. I thought 
on my coldness, failings, and sins, and 
I promised to do better if my heaven- 
ly father would give me grace, and 
spare me to enter on another year. I 
wish now to covenant anew with the 
Lord. O my God, Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost, one God, I give myself, 
my soul and body, my time and ta- 
lents, all to thee. Be pleased to ac- 
cept the offering, and 

'Seal me, thine abode, 
The temple of indwelling God.' 

I will try to do better; I will pray 
more, be more watchful, be more faith- 
ful in reproving sin, in instructing the 
ignorant, and in serving the Lord. 
Lord help me, or I shall break my 
vows, for I am perfect weakness. Sa- 
viour, be thou my strength. 

" This day's experience has served 
to convince me that there are still 



204 GRACE KING. 

within me the remains of the carnal 
mind, and that the graces of the Spi- 
rit have not yet attained maturity. I 
felt this day the risings of pride and 
impatience, which I believe are not 
felt by the % spirits of just men made 
perfect' in heaven. If these tempers 
have no place in the glorified, then 
they must be rooted up, and cast out 
of my heart, before I can join the so- 
ciety above. Have I not reason to 
look and seek for the perfecting of 
the work of holiness which I know 
my heavenly Father has begun in 
me 1 I have ; for the apostle tells 
me, • This is the will of God, even 
your sanctification ;' and he adds, 
'Faithful is he who hath promised, 
who also will do it.' This, surely, is 
reason sufficient to justify me in seek- 
ing to be ' cleansed from all unright- 
eousness.' He hath promised ! Yes, 
blessed be his name, he hath pro- 



GRACE KING. 205 

mised, 'I will sprinkle clean water 
upon you, and ye shall be clean ; 
from all your filthiness and from all 
your idols will I cleanse you ; I will 
take away the heart of stone, and give 
you a heart of flesh.' Having this, 
and many similar promises, I will 
pray that I may have all the mind 
which was in Christ. If I were more 
holy, more like my divine Saviour, I 
should be more happy and more use- 
ful; for holiness and usefulness are 
inseparably connected. I thank thee, 

Lord, for what thou hast done, and 

1 trust in thee for the perfecting of 
the work. 

" The Rev. J. B. preached this 
afternoon, and his sermon served 
greatly to extend my views of the 
divine character, and to give me a 
clearer knowledge of the Christian life. 
The text maybe found 1 Peter v, 10: 
' The God of all grace who hath 



206 GRACE KING. 

called us unto his eternal glory, by 
Christ Jesus, after that ye have 
suffered,' &c. * The God of all grace.' 
In speaking of the character of God, 
he pointed to the grace displayed in 
the magnificence, the beauty, and the 
order of the universe, in the nume- 
rous benevolent institutions esta- 
blished in Christian nations and com- 
munities, and in the rectitude, the 
happiness, and the stability of the 
heavenly hosts ; and then observed, 
'All this grace proceeds from Him 
who is " the God of all grace." ' He 
then referred to the goodness mani- 
fested in the stupendous works of 
creation, providence, and redemption, 
and remarked, 'These are the works 
of Him who is "the God of all grace.'" 
In speaking of the end of the Chris- 
tian's call, or journey, viz., ' God's 
eternal glory, 1 he appeared to me like 
one who had accompanied St. Paul 



GRACE KING. 207 

to the third heavens, and had obtained 
permission and ability to describe 
what the holy apostle thought it not 
lawful to utter ! His conceptions were 
lofty, his language figurative, and his 
manner highly animated. I cannot 
put such descriptions on paper. He 
now proceeded to speak of the Chris- 
tian's call or journey to the eternal 
glory as a way of holiness and needful 
suffering ; and he showed how suffer- 
ings, if borne with a proper spirit, and 
improved with Christian prudence, 
tend to the perfection, confirmation, 
and establishment of Christian cha- 
racter. This idea he illustrated by 
reference to the case of David, who 
says, ' It was good for me to be af- 
flicted; for before I was afflicted I 
went astray/ &c. ; and by that of Job, 
who says, ' When he hath tried me, 
I shall come forth as gold seven 
times purified.' Finally, in noticing 



208 GRACE KING. 

the medium of the Christian's call to 
God's eternal glory, the preacher re- 
marked, that ' though the atonement 
of Christ is the procuring cause of 
the redemption and salvation of all 
who finally attain heaven, yet the 
pious heathen may be said to be called 
to God's eternal glory by the law of 
nature ; and the pious Jew, by the ob- 
servance of the ceremonial law of 
Moses.' He then contrasted the seve- 
ral dispensations of religious light, in 
order to excite us to gratitude for the 
high privilege of being called to God's 
eternal glory 'by Christ Jesus.' This, 
indeed, is but a poor attempt to de- 
scribe a sermon which inspired me 
with feelings and sentiments which 
I have not power to express. O my 
heavenly Father, thy love and grace 
infinitely surpass all human concep- 
tion ; all that we can say of thee is, 
• Thou art the God of all grace.' 



GRACE KING. 209 

* O that the world might taste and see 
The riches of thy grace ! 
The arms of love that compass me 
Would all mankind embrace V 

" Our minister met the members of 
the church this afternoon, and gave 
an address which I hope will not soon 
be forgotten. He began by stating, 
that the maintenance of a strictly 
Christian deportment by the members 
of the church is essentially necessary 
to the prosperity of the cause of God. 
6 Ye are the salt of the earth/ and 
'Ye are the light of the w r orld,' are 
Scripture declarations, which prove 
this proposition. He then remarked 
that Christians ought to be circum- 
spect in what some may deem little 
things, as well as in such as are great; 
for, ' He that despiseth little things 
shall fall by little and little.' Besides, 
irregularities in little things are mark- 
ed by the world, and are made to reflect 

14 



210 GRACE KING. 

discredit on both, our persons and our 
religion. Thus we see how, by little 
things, we may c hinder the gospel of 
Christ.' He proceeded to notice, as 
among what some call little things — 
' Lightness, or levity in manners and 
conversation ; impatience under disap- 
pointments, and the contradiction of 
sinners ; evil speaking, or telling 
things to the disadvantage of absent 
persons ; want of promptness and fide- 
lity in discharging debts and fulfilling 
contracts ; indulging in luxurious liv- 
ing ; extravagance in furniture and 
dress ; and uncourteous treatment of 
our brethren and fellow men.' He 
enlarged most feelingly on each of 
these particulars." 

The following is an extract from 
a letter which G race addressed, about 
this period of her life, to a young fe- 
male friend, wl&o, it appears, was me- 



GRACE KING. 211 

ditating a visit which Grace did not 
approve. As it furnishes strong evi- 
dence of her benevolent heart, and of 
her deep solicitude for the safety and 
welfare of her friend ; and, above all, 
as it may be read with profit by my 
youthful readers, I shall offer no apo- 
logy for giving it here. 

My Dear Sister, — As you have 
determined to leave the circle of your 
friends for a time, and accompany 
Miss L. to B <~ permit me to fur- 
nish you with some evidence of my 
love and of my concern for your wel- 
fare, by giving a few words of ad- 
vice. In the first place, be resolved 
to spend some time every morning, 
noon, and night, in secret intercourse 
with God. Retire from the family 
where you may be into some secret 
place, and there read your Bible, me- 
ditate on the things of God, and pray 



212 GRACE KING. 

fervently to ' Him who seeth in se- 
cret ;' Matt, vi, 6. This will keep you 
serious, and strengthen you against 
temptation in company. Spend as 
much of your time as possible with 
your religious friends ; their conver- 
sation will tend to your edification, 
and will help to keep alive your reli- 
gious impressions. l He that walketh 
with wise men shall be wise • but a 
companion of fools shall be destroyed.' 
You will find the conversation of the 
thoughtless to empoverish your soul 
and depress your spirits. Embrace 
every opportunity of attending on the 
means of grace, such as the preaching 
of the word, meetings for prayer, fel- 
lowship meetings, the Lord's supper, 
&c. Remember the way of duty is the 
only way of safety. And go to all 
the means with humble prayer, and 
in full expectation of finding a bless- 
ing ; for it will be done to you accord- 



GRACE KING. 213 

ing to your faith. Labour at all times 
against a spirit of levity and trifling 
conversation; these, if indulged, will 
pierce your soul as a dagger, as they 
have too often done mine. In order 
to avoid levity, remember the profes- 
sion which you make ; and, above 
all, recollect, ' Thou God seest me !' 
O live in the spirit of watchfulness 
and prayer ! 

" Again, every evening when you 
retire to rest, enter into a strict and 
impartial examination of yourself. 
Ask yourself the following, or similar 
questions : Did I feel the presence 
of God when I left my bed this morn- 
ing? Did I then give him sincere 
and heartfelt thanks for his kind and 
preserving care ? And did I pray fer- 
vently that he would be with me, pro- 
tect me, and keep me from sin through 
the day? Have I duly improved 
every opportunity which this day has 



214 GRACE KING. 

afforded for private prayer, reading 
the Scriptures, meditation, religious 
conversation, and attending the public 
means of grace? Have I indulged 
any thoughts, spoken any words, or 
done any deeds this day which are 
contrary to the spirit and letter of 
God's law ? Have I been in any com- 
pany that has not been profitable ? 
Have I done all I could for the honour 
and prosperity of my Redeemer's 
cause? Do I now love God above 
all things ? Are my desires for reli- 
gious enjoyment growing stronger ? 
Am I hungering and thirsting after 
righteousness ? Urge these, or simi- 
lar questions, coolly and seriously 
upon your own heart every night, be- 
fore you dare to close your eyes in 
sleep. 

" You see that this is, in substance, 
the same counsel which I have often 
given before : you know it all. But, 



GRACE KING. 215 

my dear S., I mention it now, ■ to stir 
up your pure mind, by way of re- 
membrance.' This, you know, is dic- 
tated by the pure love of a sincere 
friend. O, I wish to receive you 
back after your visit as much devoted 
to the service of God as you now are. 
You say you love me ; I believe it. 
Then let me entreat you, when you 
think on your dear Grace, just to read 
this little epistle over again, as an evi- 
dence of your love. Farewell ; let us 
meet every day at 'the throne of 
grace' until we see each other again. 
" Yours, affectionately, 

" Grace King." 

"In order to encourage myself to 
continue the race on which I have en- 
tered, I find it necessary to cast my 
eye frequently to the glorious reward 
promised to those who endure to the 
end. This, I believe, was the practice 



216 GRACE KING. 

of Moses ; for it is said of him, \ He 
had respect to the recompense of re- 
ward.' I often think of the time when 
I shall have a palm of victory put 
into my hand, and a crown of glory 
placed upon my head ; when I shall 
be admitted to the society of an- 
gels, and the spirits of just men made 
perfect; when I shall be put into pos- 
session of the incorruptible inherit- 
ance, and when I shall be engaged in 
singing the new immortal song, in the 
immediate presence of my Saviour 
and my God. How cheering, how 
animating the thought ! 

* Thrice blessed bliss ; inspiring hope ; 
It lifts my fainting spirits up : 
It brings to life the dead !' 

If I hold fast the profession of my 
faith without wavering, I shall soon 
realize, in actual enjoyment, what I 
now see by faith ; for 



GRACE KING. 217 

4 To patient faith the prize is sure ; 
And all that to the end endure 
The cross, shall wear the crown.' 

But what am I, or how shall I endure 
to the end 1 I am perfect weakness ; 
of myself I can do nothing ; I can en- 
dure nothing. O, blessed Saviour, 
be thou my strength and my deli- 
verer ! 

"It is a thought which often cheers 
my mind, that as a believer I have a 
right, a gracious right, to plead and 
look for the fulfilment of the divine 
promises; for ' they are all yea and 
amen to them that are in Christ Je- 
sus.' These promises, St. Peter says, 
are 'great and precious.' They are 
so indeed in their origin, nature, me- 
dium, condition, and efficacy. The 
promises of man often originate in a 
principle of selfishness, or fear, or 
sense of justice ; but the promises of 
God originate wholly in his mercy 



218 GRACE KING. 

and love ; they are promises of grace! 
The medium through which these 
promises are made and fulfilled to the 
children of God is not prayer, or 
moral worth, but the merits of the 
blessed Jesus. ' The precious blood 
of Christ' is the grand meritorious and 
procuring cause of the promises. As 
to the nature of the promises, they im- 
part light to the ignorant, life to the 
dead, strength to the weak, pardon to 
the guilty, liberty to the captive, sanc- 
tification to the unholy, comfort to the 
wretched, and eternal life to the hell- 
deserving. There is no want we feel, 
no circumstances in which we can be 
placed, no duty to which we are called, 
but there is a promise suited to our 
case. The condition, on the perform- 
ance of w T hich the fulfilment of the 
promises is suspended, is not the sa- 
crifice of power, of wealth, or of 
friends, but faith in the Lord Jesus 



GRACE KING. 219 

Christ, manifested by coming- boldly 
to the throne of grace. As to the 
efficacy of these promises, they are 
all-powerful to dispel our fears, to sup- 
port us under afflictions, bereave- 
ments, and temptations, to strengthen 
our faith, to inspire our hearts with 
joy, to elevate our hopes, and to pu- 
rify our hearts. With what truth and 
propriety then did the apostle call 
them 'great and precious promises!' 
For the above remarks I am indebted 
to notes of a profitable sermon to 
which I listened on the morning of 
last sabbath. O may I cultivate a 
still closer acquaintance with the pre- 
cious book which is the repository of 
the promises ; and in every time of 
need may I have power to plead for 
their fulfilment! And O, my God, in- 
spire my poor heart with sentiments 
of love and gratitude to thyself as the 
divine Author of the promises ! " 



220 GRACE KING. 

About this time Grace noticed 
marks of penitency in a young friend 
of her acquaintance, to whom she ad- 
dressed the following 'sensible and 
Scriptural lines : — 

"My Dear Friend, — I have long 
felt deeply for the interests of your 
soul, and have remembered you con- 
stantly at the throne of grace ; hence 
you will believe me when I say that 
it gives me great joy to learn that you 
have become serious, and, as I trust, 
truly penitent. You are now in the 
way of salvation ; and tasting the 
6 wormwood and the gall.' Be not dis- 
couraged ; the blessed Saviour always 
wounds before he heals, and he always 
wounds in order to heal. If you be 
willing to forsake all sin, to give up 
the world and its fashionable amuse- 
ments, to unite yourself with the peo- 
ple of God, and to serve God with all 



GRACE KING. 221 

your heart, then be assured the bless- 
ed Saviour is ready to receive you. 
He stands in all his grace, and with 
all his salvation before you, and says 
to you, Come unto me, thou that art 
weary of sin, and burdened with guilt, 
and I will give thee rest, and will in 
nowise cast thee out. 

" Suffer me, my dear friend, to ask 
you a few questions. Do you desire 
salvation more than you desire any 
other thing ? Are you willing to give 
up every practice, pleasure, and 
amusement, which you know to be 
sinful? Are you willing to endure 
reproach from the wicked for right- 
eousness' sake ? Are you now will- 
ing to deny yourself, take up your 
cross, and follow Jesus to the end of 
life ? Do you pray much to Him who 
seeth in secret, and confess your 
sins to him ? And are you conscious 
that you cannot make satisfaction 



222 GRACE KING. 

to God for your past sins, or save 
yourself ? 

" If you can sincerely answer yes, 
then I advise you to continue to seek, 
trusting only in the blood and merits 
of Jesus. You are not far from the 
kingdom of God ; your day of salva- 
tion draws near. O, my dear friend, 
expect it every moment ! Do not rest 
satisfied with any thing short of a full 
and sensible deliverance ; a liberty 
which you can feel, and in which you 
can rejoice ! Many sincere seekers 
of salvation rest satisfied without this, 
and this is the reason why they never 
get it. ' Ask, and you shall receive ; 
seek, and you shall find ; for every 
one that seeketh findeth, and to every 
one that knocketh it shall be opened.' 
" Yours, respectfully, 

" Grace King." 

" This day a book fell in my way, 



GRACE KING. 223 

in which the author labours to show 
that the doctrine of an over-ruling 
providence is not true. He affects to 
believe 'that the care of the uni- 
verse, and the creatures that people 
it, is an employment too mean for the 
infinite Jehovah.' Though I am not 
familiar with the arguments which 
may be drawn from reason, history, 
and philosophy, in defence of the 
Christian belief in a providence, yet I 
find myself amply sustained in this 
belief by the language of Scripture. 
Here I learn, that He who made the 
universe deigns still to interest him- 
self in its government ; and that man 
receives neither good nor evil of a 
natural kind, but by either his appoint- 
ment or permission. I cannot see how 
it can be considered beneath the dig- 
nity of God to care for men and ani- 
mals, seeing he did not consider it 
beneath his dignity to make them. 



224 GRACE KING. 

Many of God's providences are con- 
fessedly dark to us ; but the great day 
of judgment and recompense will 
make every thing clear. The writer 
of this book admits that the Maker of 
all things has given to them certain 
and fixed laws, by which order, and 
the succession of seasons and days 
are brought about. Now this is what 
I call proyidence. Yes, I rejoice to 
know that ' the Lord reigneth ; and I 
would, with the Psalmist, bid ' the 
earth rejoice' on that account. I am 
taught to believe that the providence 
of God is so particular, that the very 
hairs of my head are numbered, and 
that a sparrow cannot fall to the 
ground without my heavenly Father's 
notice. Blessed Lord, thine ' eyes are 
over the righteous, and thine ears 
open to their prayers !' 

" A few more weeks will complete 
my fourteenth year; and of those 



GRACE KING. 225 

years nearly eight have been spent in 
attempting to love and serve the Lord 
During these years I have often been 
troubled with coldness and want of 
spiritual life. But, I thank my God, 
I have never intentionally and wick- 
edly departed from him ; and I have 
always possessed confidence in him 
as my Father and my God ! I know 
that my improvement in knowledge 
and holiness has not been equal to 
my privileges. My God, I feel ashamed 
and humbled before thee. O, if spared 
any longer, may the time past suffice 
me ; and may my future improvement 
bear some due proportion to my ad- 
vantages ! Stand by me, O my Re- 
deemer, and preserve me from the 
hands of my enemies ; support me 
tinder all afflictions, and strengthen 
me for all thy will!" 

This is the last entry in the diary 
of Grace King ; for the closing scenes 

15 



226 GRACE KING. 

of her life we refer to the first part of 
the work. Now, my youthful readers, 
I take my leave of you, praying that 
you may be like Grace King, both in 
her life and death. Amen. 

We will conclude our brief history 
of Grace King by giving an extract 
from the copy of a letter which she 
addressed to a relative of Mr. G.'s 
family, who, though he had been re- 
ligiously educated, still continued to 
neglect the one thing needful. This 
letter was written on the day Grace 
was taken sick, and, probably, is the 
last article which she indited. It was 
greatly blessed to the young gentle- 
man, and was made the means of 
awakening his mind. 

" Why do you put off your repent- 
ance, and defer attention to the inte- 
rests of your soul until a future time ? 
Are you looking for a future day that 
shall furnish greater facilities for ob- 



GRACE KING. 227 

taining salvation, or that shall be beset 
with fewer hinderances to your return 
to God ? Is it reasonable for you to 
expect the coming of such a day t Is 
it at all probable that you will live to 
see such a day? Are the obstacles now 
in your way really insurmountable? 
Are your present means and helps 
really so inefficient that you cannot be 
saved by their instrumentality ? Is 
not God as gracious now as he will 
be at a future day ? Is not the Lord 
Jesus as able and willing to save now 
as he will be in future ? Is not * the 
precious blood of Christ' as effica- 
cious now as it ever will be ? 

1 If religion will ever be a blessing 
to you, will it not be a blessing to 
you now ? If conversion will be ne- 
cessary to your safety at some future 
time, is it not a matter of safety to 
you now? If it will ever be your duty 
to be religious, is it not your duty now? 



228 GRACE KING. 

And if it will ever be for your interest 
to be religious, is it not your interest 
to be religious now? 

" I think I hear you answer, Yes ! 
And can you, after such an answer, 
defer for another hour attending to 
your duty, and the pursuit of your 
highest interest 1 0,1 beseech you, 
by the worth of your soul, by the 
joys of heaven, by the miseries of 
hell, by the mercy of God, by the 
cross of Christ, and by the danger of 
delay, that you trifle no longer ! Now, 
yes, now give your heart to God !" 

THE END. 



